Desperation Attracts Vultures
by Bleedndreamz
Summary: Naruto's goal of earning the title of Hokage seems hopelessly out of reach as he find himself without a trainer for the Chunin Exams. This feeling of hopelessness turns to a deep seeded desperation when he finds himself completely outclassed by his opponent. However desperation is a dangerous thing that has poisoned the minds of many, and desperation only attracts vultures.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Okay well to start things off, you may have seen this story before. It is a few years old, and I did it when I was still relatively new to writing. Pretty much all the writing I have done since then except a couple short stories I have only written for myself. However now that I have grown a bit as a writer, I decided I could choose to delete this story or look it over again.

Now with that said, I told myself so that I don't leave anyone hanging waiting for a story. Don't release anything unless you have a full story arc finished. With this story I do. I have 10 chapters pretty much done and ready to be posted, with a quick glance over them left to do before they will be posted. I will probably be releasing one chapter each week on Tuesday(As it is my day off).

Now this is a brief "What can I expect from this story." I have read fanfiction for a long time now. Nothing is more dissatisfying then investing yourself in a story only for it to go in a direction you hate. I understand, so the following will not include spoilers, but it will include the themes and atmosphere of the story in contrast to it's prior attempt I made years ago.

Before with this story I can say that I was a much fresher writer and didn't really understand what made a good story. Cool ideas and cool, but at the end of the day awesome ideas doesn't make a compelling character narrative. The same can be said of aggressively bashing a character vs merely acknowledging their good qualities and flaws. I've tried best to eliminate the later from the story, while paying heavy mind to the former. This should provide a story well worth the read. The goal was to make each arc read as if it were it's own story. In the event that I never have the time to go on and continue after these 10 chapters, you will have at least had a fun read that had it's own conclusion.

The theme of the story should hopefully reflect the distance someone is willing to go to accomplish their dreams and goals. In the actual Naruto series, you have really just two characters and a villain with goals, and the plot largely folding in on itself to reflect what these two characters want to accomplish. In this story you will see characters driven to believable desires, and just how far they are willing to go to accomplish them, and the cost at which the lengths they are willing to go comes with.

So a final note. I have decided to up the age of the characters in this story. Generally speaking that every character is 3 years older. There is only one exception to this rule, and that character is introduced later this arc(If you haven't already been spoiled by the characters in the story description). If you are curious, the reason for this is a number of things, but one of the main reasons is character maturity. I didn't want to write the childlike innocence and ignorance of Naruto, but I also didn't want a ridiculously unbelievable 12 year old thought processes like other works of fanfiction.

Anyways I hope you enjoy the story. Please feel free to review, as I do read them and respond to **everyone's** questions, no matter how rude some of them have been.

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 _I remember how our friendship started._

A nine year old blonde saw what was unfolding before him. The screaming and jeering from the young children. The laughter as the group played all the while a lone girl was stuck in the middle of the group on her hands and knees in tears. Surrounding the yard were children that would either join in, or look on. Such as the newest arrival from Konoha's formerly largest clan.

"Come on Ugly Ami! Who cut your hair? A blind woman?" The leader of the group mocked as the children in turn chorused in laughter obediently following the biggest kid on the playground.

The purple haired girl with asymmetrical hair let tears flow freely from her eyes as silently as possible as they stained the dirt of the playground below. Her striped blouse was covered in mud, and the the markings on her sleeves had been torn off.

"Ugly Ami! Ugly Ami! Ugly Ami!" The sheep like children of the orphanage continued to chorus.

The blonde abruptly stomped over to the group and standing over the fallen girl, "Hey! Knock it off!"

The biggest child of the group, the leader spun and turned to the blonde. "Oh and what are you going to do about it little Naruto?" The bigger boy mocked as he clenched his hand into a fist before grinding his knuckles into Naruto's blonde hair.

Naruto smacked away the offending hand, "Shut up Tobio. You were new here just like everyone else. It doesn't give you the right to tease the others."

"What Naruto? Are you trying to be her hero? You are just the academy clown, even Ami doesn't like you!"

Naruto flinched briefly his gaze falling down to the sniffling Ami, "So what? Still doesn't give you the right."

"Right? Naruto, who cares? We're just having fun."

A chorus of children followed Tobio.

"Yeah Naruto, it's just fun."

"Come on Naruto."

"Well she doesn't look like she's having fun." Naruto said as he stood up for the girl.

"Why are you even protecting her? She. Doesn't. Like. You. None of us do." Tobio fired back.

"Because apparently no one else will. They just follow you because you're the biggest kid in the orphanage."

"What, and you think she wouldn't trade places with you? Do you think you can't be messed with Naruto because you've been here all your life? You're wrong." Tobio remarked as he lightly kicked Ami's heel prompting the girl to look up. "Ami do you want Naruto to take your place?"

Naruto's jaw tightened as he looked up staring Tobio in the face. He didn't even need to look down and see Ami's silent decision.

"And there it is." Tobio said with a grin before he was quick to deliver the first punch.

Then many from the children followed suit.

It was quite some time later that a beaten and bloodied Uzumaki Naruto picked himself up from the place Ami had once been. With a swelling eye and a limp, Naruto made his way to retire to his bed. Along his path was the dark haired 'Last Uchiha', the orphanage's newest and temporary arrival.

"That was smart." the Uchiha remarked.

Naruto scowled at his classmate, Sasuke. He had been top of their class in the academy for the past three years, and seemed to have no plans of relinquishing his spot. "Better than having the power to stop it, and doing nothing to help."

Sasuke shrugged, "It wasn't my problem."

"A ninja is supposed to protect people of our village, like the Hokage."

"I'm not the Hokage."

Naruto scowled, "Well when I get stronger than you and become Hokage, I won't turn my back on you."

"You won't become stronger than me Naruto." Sasuke replied bluntly as Naruto continued to limp away.

"Today I was."

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 **Years Later**

To say that Naruto was a bit put out was an understatement. He dragged his feet down the dirt roads of Konoha kicking a pebble all the while silently cursing his teammate. He had just asked his sensei, Kakashi, if he could train him for the upcoming chunin exam finals. Perhaps the most important moment in his young shinobi career. However the man had declined, much to the blonde's displeasure.

Kakashi had told him that Sasuke was going to need all the help he could get against Gaara, and that he had already promised he would train Sasuke. It wouldn't have bothered Naruto much considering it was a promise. Naruto knew more than anyone how important it was to keep a promise. The problem was, he knew his sensei was lying when it concerned training his rival.

His sensei had at least tried to line up another to take his place, which was thoughtful of him. That was until Naruto had met the sensei that was supposed to train him. He had 'defeated' the poor bastard with a perverted jutsu that he had designed in his own bored amusement and the man had humorously passed out. Naruto knew that he both couldn't respect or rely on anyone that would pass out for hours at a time over a single jutsu that was designed for his own amusement. So here was his problem.

Sure Sasuke was going to have trouble with his fight against Gaara. There was no doubt about that. Yet Naruto was going to have trouble with his fight too. His opponent was the former rookie of the year Hyuuga. The fight wouldn't be easy, and it wasn't like the Hyuuga was any less dangerous. At least Sasuke had a few useful techniques under his belt that could possibly stand a chance against Gaara. Naruto knew that to even hope to beat Neji he would need help, and a lot of training.

So when he arrived at his favorite training ground, and saw a woman in ragged dark blue clothing there walking on water, he was instantly mesmerized. It had been the first sight to truly draw his attention since he parted ways with his sensei. He had only seen such a thing during his sensei's battle with Zabuza, The Demon of the Hidden Mist. The woman was a vision of beauty even from a distance, and he found himself already making his way over there. Although he did so with caution.

Naruto was the Kyuubi vessel. It was always a gamble approaching strangers, and trying to figure out how they would act beforehand. Not that he could completely blame them, after all the demon fox had nearly destroyed the village the day he was born. Although that fact never really bothered him. He had grown to be self sufficient when he could rather than relying on others. He owned very little and lived a rather minimalist lifestyle as consequence, and the few things he did own were rather beat up.

His complete wardrobe consisted of two second hand orange jumpsuits that have been stitched and patched up several times with his mediocre but actively growing sewing skills. He had been given them for free at a Thrift store when he was young, and he wasn't the type to throw out a gift no matter how beat up they became. Then naturally a couple pairs of underwear and a couple black shirts. In his closet he also had some overalls that no longer fit him, but kept them for sentimental value. He didn't look too far from being homeless.

Naruto found his seat on a rock overlooking the lake. The woman had since begun going through what appeared to be several different fluidly moving taijutsu stances. He could have sworn he saw the water bubble and boil beneath her feet, but he didn't know for certain. He wasn't even sure if the woman had noticed his arrival and the fact that he was watching her. She was young and had an hourglass figure, she couldn't be a day older than twenty-five. She had ankle length auburn hair with that fell down like a lion's mane. Her dark blue nail polish gleamed in the sun and matched her current lipstick.

She had an exotic look that didn't look like anything he had ever seen. She didn't wear the typical red and green colors of the Hidden Leaf village, instead her sea colors firmly matched with the blonde's eyes.

Although perhaps he had a slight bias as the area where his apartment was located, he grew used to seeing women wearing ruby red lipstick, high heels, and fishnet clothing with miniskirts. The proctor of the 2nd part of the chunin exam only solidified that opinion since the only other female kunoichi he had really taken the chance to look at besides her was one that instead of fishnet, used bandages to cover her body which was frankly not much better.

She continued twisting and turning through various movements, it looked like a dance the way she was performing. Then all at once, she stopped and turned into water collapsing into the lake with a splash. The action thoroughly confused the genin until he felt a hand on his shoulder, as someone used him as support to lift themselves quickly over the stone to plop down next him.

"I usually charge for lessons you know." she said with a saucy grin as she turned her head to look at Naruto. Naruto nearly flinched when she sat down next to him, but her forming smile calmed him down considerably. He stayed silent for a moment as he looked out over the lake to where she was formerly.

"So how were you doing all of that? Like walking on water." Naruto asked genuinely curious as he turned back to face the woman.

The woman looked amused and replied, "I'm Mei Terumi, nice to meet you too!" she said in an overly cheerful voice that held hints of sarcasm which indeed got Naruto to rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry..." he said in embarrassed, "I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto." he said carefully. It was always a gamble giving his name out. He was just hoping she wasn't like most people whom after learning his name often made excuses to leave. However to his surprise the woman was unphased and merely continued chuckling at the whole situation.

"Uzumaki Naruto eh?" She closed her eyes and leaned back with both hands on the rock as she gently began swinging her feet back and forth. She looked quite relaxed and comfortable in her own skin, "I've heard quite a bit about you around the village." She followed her question by opening her right eye to peer at Naruto to gauge his reaction.

Naruto scowled a bit at the mention of his reputation, but said nothing. So the woman continued.

"They say that you are dangerous and can't be trusted." she finished her statement slowly, making sure to say every word. Naruto's expression turned sour once she said that. "That you are a real handful?" She sent him a questioning glance. The teen boy looked as if he was ready to just get up and leave. Yet her steady hand that she put on the boy's shoulder kept him in place, "Good thing for you, I don't always believe what I hear." she said with a grin as she leaned forward to get in Naruto's view. "You don't seem so bad."

Naruto on the other hand was going through a range of emotions with his encounter with this "Mei Terumi". He wasn't a complete idiot, unlike what most people thought about him. He was beginning to catch on that this woman must have been someone from another village that was just visiting for the chunin exams. He hadn't met many people from other villages, and the three that he did meet, he wasn't too fond of them. However maybe this time things would be different.

"I also saw the poster, you are going to be in the upcoming chunin exam right?" she asked giving the teen a questioning glance. "I bet you regret taking that silly face painted shinobi photo now don't you?"

Naruto brought himself back to reality, and collected himself. He knew he would need to before he opened his mouth on the subject. He still was a bit sour over Kakashi's decision. That, and bringing up his genin photo and seeing all of the posters around the village was starting to make him regret not listening to the photographer's advice.

Mei sat up closing the distance between both herself and Naruto in the process. She rested her hand on his leg for balance once again while picking up a few pebbles off the ground and lobbing them into the lake for amusement. "So then why aren't you training with your sensei? I hear that the Hyuuga are rather dangerous opponents, if I was in your shoes I would be training pretty hard."

Naruto clenched his fists at the thought of his sensei. Sasuke was probably out there with Kakashi now, learning all sorts of cool jutsus that would just leave him in the dust when he got back. Then he would get a bunch of praise when he beats Gaara. Sakura will be fawning over him even more than she usually does, and he would never get the time of day from her. It wouldn't even matter if he was able to pull off a miraculous victory. All he knew how to do right now would be to work on chakra control, and the _basics_.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and tried to remain calm, "My sensei..." he said the word sensei with a bitter taste and a tight jaw before continuing, "Kakashi is going to go train my teammate Sasuke for the month."

If Naruto was looking at the woman, he would have seen the slightest unnerving glint in her eyes when he said that. "He left you here? Unsupervised? Forsaking you for another teammate? Something tells me this isn't the first time Naruto-kun." she said slowly, with hints of worry in her voice.

Naruto scowled, for some reason the woman who was sitting next to him always knew the correct choice of words to say to get under his skin. He tried his best to not let things people say get to him, a skill he had to just develop living with the Kyuubi in him. It was like a mask that he could put on, that insults would bounce off of them. As a child, this mask was made of porcelain, weak and a single insult could fracture it. Yet as he grew older he was able to exchange the porcelain for iron, tempered and unyielding. Now most things never phased him. Yet here was this woman speaking to him as if there was no mask at all, or as if she knew exactly what to say to just slip past the mask for a mere moment to get her point across. Yet a mere moment was all she needed.

Naruto stood up to leave, no longer wanting to continue this conversation any longer. Yet once he made his stand the woman proposed an offer that he knew he didn't want to refuse.

"Well then Naruto-kun how about I teach you? I am from the Hidden Mist village, but I can see that you have a lot of untapped potential and frankly it would be an honor to help you reach your potential over this next month. I believe I could teach you quite a bit of things that you would find useful."

Naruto turned to face the woman and gave her a questioning glance. "Like? How do I even know you are qualified to teach?"

The woman turned to Naruto and cocked an eyebrow at him, "Well Naruto. You don't. You just need to trust me. If you don't want to, then you can go with your other options. I won't take it personally."

Naruto said nothing, for some reason he knew the woman's statement was that of a rhetorical question. "I am going to have to decline. I have had some bad experiences in the past with my teachers deceiving me."

The woman shrugged her shoulders and stood up and walked to the water, calling at Naruto, "It is better than having no teacher at all. But alright then Naruto. I wish you the best of luck with whomever you hope to train with in the coming month." She said as she took her first step out onto the water as several clones of her began to rise up out of the water.

Naruto carried on looking at the woman for several minutes as he watched her go through several sets of taijutsu. He didn't think much more of it then that until she did only what appeared to be three seals and a giant water dragon appeared out of the water circling her clones. The giant beast gave a roar before flying up and crashing back down, merging once again with the water.

Naruto forced himself to close his eyes as he walked away. He knew that if he continued to watch, he would take her up on the offer. However he also knew that he had to be more careful about who he chose to teach him. One tried to kill him in the past after all.

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Naruto sighed as he made his way to the Hokage Tower in the village. He may not see the old man that often, but when he did, he usually gave pretty good advice.

He walked over Konoha's dirt roads and was used to the stares. It was a path that he took quite often in his childhood. The orphanage wasn't that far away from the Hokage tower. Although as he walked, it felt like every step was a struggle knowing that there was someone who was willing to teach him just down in his favorite training ground. It wasn't like she was asking him to spend a month in the Forest of Death.

As he approached the Hokage doors, he briefly took a peek into the small paper bag he had been holding to ensure it's contents hadn't melted.

He passed through the large double doors at the entrance to the tower with smile on his face as he withdrew one of the treats in the bag for himself.

Over at the front desk was a young brown haired teen, no older than eighteen who perked up a bit at the sight of the blonde. "Oh Naruto!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Wait are those donuts!" She said as her eyes widened further and she gained a splitting grin.

"Hey there Hitomi." Naruto greeted with the best smile he could muster with his thoughts weighing him down, "I brought you a donut."

The older girl smiled slyly as she accepted the treat, her eyes dancing in delight as she chewed into the sugary delight. "Naruto, I haven't seen you in awhile." Hitomi said between bites, "I thought you forgot about me."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I've just been busy with the chunin exams, but I didn't forget." he said as he gave the donut a nod. "Is the old man in right now?"

Hitomi licked her fingers as she shoved a series of papers aside with the edge of her sticky palm, "Ummm. Right now actually he is with members of the village council. I'm sorry." Hitomi said with a wince as she suddenly looked at her treat a tad guilty.

Naruto shook his head, "Don't worry about it. It's alright. Can you tell him I came by?"

Hitomi licked her fingers again as she nodded her head grabbing one of the pens on her desk, "Oh yeah of course!" She said through a full mouth having just stuffed her face. "I'll let him know as soon as he is out."

"And why would Hokage-sama be interested in seeing a failure like you?" a voice called out from behind Naruto.

"What did you say!" Naruto said as he spun around in anger. Hyuuga Neji stood across from him with the same stuck up and condescending look he delivered to Hinata after he defeated his cousin.

"Only the reality." Neji explained. Beside him he was escorting another girl that looked a couple years younger than him. She looked similar to Hinata with slightly stronger features, and longer hair. "You won your battle solely based on luck. You are the only one that made it into the finals who doesn't deserve to be there."

Naruto ground his teeth, "You shit talking mother fucker." Naruto said bluntly.

"Naruto!" Hitomi cried out in surprise.

"I can't believe they even let you be around members of your own family after what you pulled!" Naruto said angrily.

"That is because Naruto, some people like you are in fact replaceable. Where others such as your teammate garner special attention." Neji said smoothly as he stood firm.

"You bastard." Naruto growled as he stepped forward towards Neji. Although the white eyed boy was didn't bother to wait for a potential attack. He slid forward with his palm outward, slamming it against the blonde's chest, as his other arm was used to block the girl standing beside him.

Neji straightened himself up once again as Naruto had stumbled back to the front desk of the Hokage Tower eliciting a yelp Hitomi. "Both of my teammates could have dodged that attack, and both of them aren't even moving forward in this tournament. At your level, you will never be able to match the likes of the others in the competition."

Naruto grit his teeth as he supported himself on the desk, "I just need to match the level of one." he said as he glared at the Hyuuga.

Neji scoffed, "Good luck. Come Hanabi." he said as he ushered the girl beside him out of the room.

Hitomi's eyes were glued wide at her desk, "What the hell! What was that about? Naruto do you want to report this or anything? Isn't he supposed to be your competitor? That was totally illegal, on so many levels!" Hitomi exclaimed as she began ranting off.

"Forget it Hitomi. The old man is busy anyways right? I'll just tell him later." Naruto said as his mind was heavy with completely other thoughts. "Besides, I have somewhere else I need to go." Naruto explained as he left the tower leaving a frowning front desk girl behind.

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Mei Terumi didn't show it but she was barely containing a smile. She had a plan, but it was delicate. While tt was her goal to get the trust and loyalty of the boy and she knew that by this point in his life it wouldn't take that much. The boy had been ostracized his entire life in his own home. No one bothered to give the boy a chance, and she could tell just by the way they looked at him. They gave him condescending stares left and right as if the boy was useless and not worth one's time of day.

Yet that was far from the case, and that was why she was here. Jinchuriki should never be ignored. The Mist village was formerly a strong nation that had the world's greatest sword wielders in all of the nation's rivaling even the greatest of Samurai. Their power for a time was unrivaled. However now with the long ongoing war that was imposed by the last two Mizukage... that power diminished. Nearly all of the bloodlines in the country had since been purged. If she were to be honest with herself, the best day in the lives of the people who lived in the water country as of recent was the death of the Fourth Mizukage. He had changed from the young charming boy he once was in a single night, and turned into a ruthless tyrant that followed in the Sandaime's footsteps.

In short, the reason why she was here for Naruto was to obtain the one thing the Mist lacked presently. Power. They were lucky with the fact that at least two of the seven shinobi swordsmen had stayed loyal to the Mist throughout the war. That fact of the matter was that with the loss of five of their strongest shinobi, and the purge of the bloodlines, the Mist was no more powerful than that of the Snow, Waterfall, or Rain villages. It was only their reputation for their brutality that had prevented other villages from attempting to seize a foothold. Something which needed to be corrected quickly if they wanted to maintain their standing.

When she had received intelligence that Konoha had a jinchuriki that had no ties to the village, and seemingly wanted to become the Hokage with no real reason as to why besides the fact that people would acknowledge him. A plan began to form. Like many orphans from the mist's civil war, the boy grew up without anyone ever giving him the time of day, or never having time for him in general. She would be the first person that would be there for him. The thought was simple, manipulative, and effective. Yet no different from the report that she had received about the apprentice of Zabuza. While not exactly morally just, desperate times called for desperate measures. She could only hope that she didn't grow too emotionally attached to the boy, for when she would reveal to him who she truly was, she could only hope that the boy would side with her, or else she would only be adding to the problem.

She was confident that he would, she just didn't want to become overconfident. She heard a speech that had been passed down from generation to generation in the Mist. It was a story that had been told from some wandering nobody in Wind Country whom was in the art of crafting toy puppets and was said to have a repertoire of a 102 puppets at the time. Yet that wasn't what was important about the man, what was important was what he said.

This wise man said that people were like his repertoire of puppets. That they tried to coast through life putting forth as little effort as necessary to get by. When left unchecked people cut off from the judgment of others would rationalize away the reasons they should do their best, or even do at all. He felt that what keeps people in check is judgment of other people they care about. He gave the examples of people wanting their parents to be proud of them, their love interests to notice them, the people they admire to befriend them… and that was why they try. The wise puppeteer said "These connections to other people are strings that constantly tug at them, pulling them in this or that direction. Without these strings to tug at them, people, like puppets, are inclined to do nothing at all."

A powerful, if withdrawn lesson, but nothing groundbreaking, of course until Mei continued to listen to the story of this man and analyzed what he had to say.

One could only say that it wasn't right to compare people to puppets, but such an act would only get the puppeteer talking once again.

"Perhaps." the old man said giving a pause for dramatic effect, "But assuming I'm correct for a moment, what happens when someone becomes disconnected from the strings? When everyone a person cares about dies or leaves, or when they never had anyone to begin with? They are left adrift in an empty world, without ties to other people, and thus very little purpose in their lives."

That was where Naruto came into all of this. The boy was born an orphan, and the only ties and strings to other people that he had were weak ones. The Hokage who was busy running a village and only saw Naruto a few times a year. Or the owners of a ramen bar that he came to become friends with because of his unhealthy addiction and pitiful budget? What reason did the boy honestly have to try hard to become a ninja? With no one to judge him, or to question him for not trying hard enough? His own sensei had cast the boy off to the side in favor of a different student. Naruto was, and still is stuck in a state where he alone had to gauge when he would stop trying. He had no one to tell him that there was a solution to his problems. The boy was a shell of a human, a person that had lost hope, he just didn't know it yet.

That was why she was confident. She could change the boy, change him so that he no longer subconsciously doubted himself. So that he no longer thought he was just wasting not just his time, but the time of other people as well. The fact that he would have a mentor, a real teacher, that could tell him that there was a solution to his problems and that it was within his reach. Her actions she knew would not just boost the boy's confidence, but it would give him hope. And a little hope is a good thing. She and she alone would be his reason to try hard, to not let her down because of her faith in him and his inevitable hope that it would not be misplaced.

She knew from first glance that Konoha had failed their jinchuriki. The lack of acknowledgment had left him desperate, and desperation only attracted vultures.

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Naruto sighed as he returned to the training ground and stripped himself of his jacket, shirt, and sandals before wading into the lake and calling out to the woman whom was now sitting cross legged on it. He swam out to the center of the lake at a relaxed pace, as he saw the woman open her eyes and take notice of him. He swam right up to her, at which point he was swimming right in front of Mei, whom had since moved from sitting to a crouch on one knee. It became obvious to Naruto that the woman was not going to acknowledge him anymore then just staring at him, before he said anything. Especially since he had blown her off not more than an hour ago.

"I'm sorry." Naruto said with a frown, doing his best to avoid the woman's gaze. He was terrible with apologies, not because he didn't feel like apologies were necessary, but because he had never been given the opportunity to really give any. "I do need your help. You're all I got." Naruto said trying his best to sound sincere and not make it seem as if the woman was a last resort.

Mei in turn grinned at the apology. There was no point in trying to give the boy a hard time over it when he said he was sorry, and came back to her. "Alright. Then I want your undivided attention this month Naruto-kun is that understood? I want you to give me everything you got, and if you are not I will just stop training you. Why would I help someone who isn't trying their hardest?"

Naruto nodded at her statement as he continued to bob up and down in the water as he did his best to stay afloat.

Mei gave a charming smile that did it's best to calm the boy. She reached down into the water and grabbed the boy from under his armpits and hoisted him out of the water, despite his initial protests. She ignored any ramblings the boy was saying about essentially being hoisted in mid air over a lake. She calmly said, "Alright, first lesson shall be dancing..."

Naruto stopped complaining about how he was hoisted up and instantly wondered if training with this woman was a bad idea, until she continued her statement.

"On top of water." She finished with a glint of amusement in her eyes as she watched Naruto's face go through several various emotions. "Anyways this is what I want you to do Naruto..."

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Alright, well there we have it.

Now finally the most important note that I could not post at the top. This story has always been heavily inspired by Nobody102's Scorpion Disciple chapter 4. His tale is where this story not only gets it's title, but also represents a theme that was thoroughly missing in the Naruto series after Mizuki and Orochimaru. A theme in which characters are not just black/white, good and evil, but many different shades of gray where there is evil in many places. Hopefully you will enjoy the journey where I lead you towards that.

On another note, I have also been working on other stories. I am simply posting the first chapters of each of them if you would be interested in reading those as well.


	2. Fool me Once? Shame on You

So this is the second chapter of the rewrite. During this phase of the rewriting process, I really wanted to stick to what the original story was before I realized how drastically things were going to diverge. As such, this chapter is probably the slowest and most uneventful of the 10 chapters in the Arc.

Below I will go over my general changes and reasoning behind it if you are interested. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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*Chapter 2*: Fool Me Once? Shame on You

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

A week had passed since he had met this woman he now called his sensei. It felt like this was the first sensei he ever truly had. He wasn't trying to say that his previous teachers were bad... 'They just were gone.' he thought dryly as his mind wandered to the harsh reality of only having three weeks left to prepare for the finals.

Naruto sighed as he stuffed himself with another mouthful of Ramen. He was trying to have a quick meal before he would go off to meet his sensei. As the week had gone by he had begun to believe that his sensei must have been something along the lines of a gift from Kami herself. She had fallen right into his lap like an angel when he needed her most. She then went on to not only train him, but give him her complete and fully undivided attention.

She wasn't like Iruka, who barely gave Naruto a few extra pointers outside of class in his last remaining years at the academy. With the knowledge he had now after the Mizuki incident he realized that Iruka only really decided to help once he got over the fact that he had the Kyuubi within him. He didn't think he could ever really look at Iruka the same way after he found out that he used to hate him. Besides, by that point it had been too little too late.

She wasn't like Kakashi who had chose another student over him. While Kakashi was a great shinobi, he had his flaws as a teacher. His laid back personality often made these flaws more apparent.

No, Mei wasn't like them. She woke up early, and would set up the training ground that they were going to use. When Naruto got there she was perfectly ready to work all through the night if he wanted to, and he often wanted to. He would work until he physically collapsed.

Naruto fought down the bitterness that swelled within him at the most recent thought. Kakashi had chose his teammate over him, and left him stranded with no one... competent. Kakashi had told Team Seven the first day they trained together that those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandoned their teammates were worse than that. 'I hope I remember to call him on that next time I see him.' Naruto thought as he tightened his jaw.

Regardless he enjoyed his time with Mei. The training thus far had gone quite smooth, and if he was honest with himself and she had taught him a lot. There was some practical stuff in the life of a shinobi and other things were just skills that were just useful to have. For example, he thought it was an utter joke when she said that she was going to teach him to dance on water. Yet when she had lifted him out of the water, and had him balance himself on her toes as he tried to grasp the right amount of chakra needed to keep himself afloat, he realized that most teachers likely wouldn't ever think of teaching him in such a personal fashion. They would likely just tell him the general idea and then push him into a hot spring or a pool.

Although there was also the fact that he hadn't ever really had close contact like that with anyone such as dancing. He would never admit that the situation made him blush quite a bit. Mei was rather beautiful after all. He could only hope the woman didn't notice his slight crush and have it get in the way of their training.

She had taken the time, and used some of her own energy to ensure that he succeeded. Only a couple hours had passed before she began teaching him how to dance on top of the water. A skill that she later explained he may very well need to know some time down the road. "Why not kill two birds with one stone?" was what she said as their training continued.

Soon enough the dancing had turned into skating. Learning to skate across the water using chakra, moving at speed that typically wouldn't be possible. She had told him that this was a type of training that was implemented in the Mist Village due to their heavy reliance on large bodies of water and water ninjutsu. By the end of the week Naruto could glide around the water at speeds far faster than he could ever hope to run. He wanted to compare himself to how quick that fuzzy eyebrows kid was, but he doubted he would ever compare to him when he took off his weights. He would need to train his body a lot longer than a month to achieve that.

Although to his surprise Mei had told him that it wasn't impossible to achieve within a month. If it was his goal to become an incredible close range shinobi, she was willing to help him with that. The thought of earning his victories by beating others in the tournament such as Sasuke, and Neji in hand to hand combat was something he truly wanted to see. The question was would he be able to develop those skills in time?

Naruto sighed and dug into his pockets reaching around for his old and beaten little wallet that always seemed to be irreparably light. That was when he found the contents of his purse to be absent. Naruto paled.

Not a second later the brown haired girl with a white bandana leaned over the counter with a smile. "Don't worry about it Naruto. It will be on the house today."

Naruto's crestfallen look couldn't meet her eyes as he numbly nodded, "Thank's Ayame."

The girl returned a small smile, not pressing any further.

Naruto quietly left the ramen bar with a drag to his step. He knew that someday in life he would pay that family back for how kind they were to him. Those two were probably the closest people he had in his life. When he became successful, he knew exactly who would be taken care of first.

Naruto walked at a brisk pace to the training ground where Mei was sure to reside, likely having already set up the training ground for whatever she felt like teaching him today. Of course at this point he no longer cared about her sometimes questionable methods of training. She had taught him more in the past week than his previous senseis had done in months, even years. He could also barely hold in the excitement that was starting to build the closer he got to the training ground. Mei had said that she had wanted him to learn chakra control first, and then she could begin teaching him justus. Yet since he had mastered water walking by the end of last week, he couldn't help but grin as he got onto the training field, with the thought of new jutsus which he could show off, and more importantly impress Sakura-chan.

"Naruto-kun." Mei said with a smile acknowledging his presence as he got closer to her.

"Mei-sensei." Naruto greeted with a smile, "So what are you going to teach me today?" he asked with a grin as he stripped himself of his orange jacket. Since they had been doing a lot of work on the water in recent days, he felt there was little point of him being completely in a jumpsuit for no reason.

Mei gave a small smile and motioned Naruto to come towards a large rock she was standing by, "Naruto. I'm afraid I found out some things... about you which I would like to clarify."

Naruto instantly paled the moment she said that, a thousand thoughts going through his head a second. The most important ones that crossed his mind several times were, 'Does she know about Kyuubi?' and 'Is she going to stop training me?' Naruto reluctantly sat down beside her and waited to unveil the news of what she had heard about him.

Mei ran a hand through her long auburn hair, as she swung one of her legs over the other making her ragged dark blue clothes rise up. One of the many things he would never understand about the woman. How was it she had more beauty than any other woman he had seen in Konoha, and yet she dressed like that of someone who was homeless?

"Naruto," Mei began with a weak smile as she turned to look at the boy, "I heard yesterday after our training. Some of the civilians of this village decided to come up and tell me that you are the host of Kyuubi, the nine tailed demon fox. Is that true?" She asked in a sincere voice.

Naruto didn't say anything and looked at his feet, not really wanting to answer the question.

Mei however had expected as such, and pulled the young teen boy close, nearly onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. She quickly felt the boy heat up, and she knew if she could have seen the boy's face from this position, it would have been bright red. "I just want you to know Naruto-kun." She began as she began to gently run her hand through his hair, "You are not the Kyuubi, and in fact this only makes you far more special than I originally thought when I met you. You are a Jinchuriki Naruto."

Naruto had literally felt his heart warm and jump the moment she had told him that he was not the Kyuubi, and appeared to be accepting of his situation. Of course this didn't last long as that feeling was quickly replaced with confusion at the term Jinchuriki.

Mei whom picked up on the boy's confusion clarified what it meant for him, "A product of human sacrifice. I know it may not sound great, but you are a hero Naruto, and you are not alone-"

Naruto had taken the liberty at that point to nearly do a full 180 spin and blurt out, "What do you mean I'm not alone?" He asked in surprise, and an underlying tone of hope. Hoping that there was someone else out there like him.

Mei smile and ruffled his hair lightly, "Well there are nine demons Naruto, not just one. You just happen to have the most powerful inside you. My village, The Hidden Mist, we have two jinchuriki in our ranks. They are the heroes of our village for the sacrifice they made in order for our Village to survive. One of them even became the Mizukage due to the general village populace loving him." So she may have stretched the truth a bit on that one, especially since they currently only had one jinchuriki, and then one turtle that was in a gated area of the ocean behind the Mist's main island under heavy watch. However Naruto didn't need to know that.

Naruto gave a weak smile once she mentioned that. It was a good feeling knowing that there were others out there like him. However he couldn't help but be bitter at the fact that they were treated like heroes, where as he was treated like the dirt beneath peoples boots even with the sacrifice he had to endure throughout his life. It wasn't fair.

Mei grabbed hold of Naruto's hand as she continued running through his hair with her other hand. "Naruto, Kyuubi makes you special, for example your chakra reserves must be nearly endless right? That and you likely never get tired? You could go without sleeping I imagine correct?"

Naruto didn't say anything, he merely nodded his head. Ever since he had found out about the fox, he had thought the thing was nothing but a curse. Nothing but a thorn in his side. Yet when he reflected back on the beast, every time he was in need, the fox was there to help him. The fox was there to make up for his lack of training.

Mei continued as the boy sat in silence, "Then Naruto I believe I have the perfect training for you, that can allow you to train a hundred hours in a single hour, perhaps even a thousand hours worth of training in a single hour. Yet first, I must give you a lesson, because over the past week I have come to understand a bits and pieces about how you act as a shinobi."

Naruto had perked up at the training, but decided to stay silent and just enjoy the close proximity he had to the woman. He imagined that this was the first time he had ever been held in the arms of anyone since the Fourth Hokage had sealed the fox in him. Everyone else seemed perfectly content with ruffling his hair, as if there was a 'No touching Naruto' clause on the village.

"Naruto you have told me about your teammate Sasuke, whom you say thinks he is so special because he has the Sharingan? You hate the fact that he is capable of just looking at a jutsu and being able to copy it right? You think it is unfair?" Mei questioned the boy in her arms as she rubbed her thumb on the back of the boy's hand.

Naruto scowled at the mention of Sasuke, because it instantly made him think of what Sasuke was doing with Kakashi and the sorts of training the boy must have been getting. Naruto nodded his head in frustration, "That isn't the only reason I don't like him." he grumbled as he shifted uncomfortably beside the woman. Suddenly his feelings on the subject just began pouring out. "Because of those eyes of his, everyone in the village feels he's so special. They all act like they need to kiss his ass. Yet he has no regard for the people he hurts in the process. He even stole parts of a taijutsu style from one of our own shinobi who worked years to achieve it." he finished in frustration.

"Yet why does that bother _you_ Naruto?" she said suddenly after he finished his statement. She spun the boy off and out of her grip, and onto the ground in front of her. "I am teaching _you_ because I believe in _you_ Naruto. I believe that you can become great, probably one of the greatest shinobi that the world has seen in a long time. Yet, in order to become great you need to come to terms that this is a world of killers. That your life is training, and becoming stronger. That you have to wake up every morning and realize that it is do or die, because if you don't wake up and train, there is someone else out there that will. The sharingan is a tool, an ability that allows the wielder to copy any jutsu he sees. However don't fault him for using it and get mad that the world is the way it currently is. Your teammate Sasuke uses that ability for whatever reasons he likes, yet it all comes down to whether he should copy the ability and at least have the knowledge of it for later use, and it very well could save his life some day. Or not to copy a jutsu, and then later down the road his life may be at stake, and he could have saved it with that single jutsu he chose not to copy because people felt it was wrong? Don't be ridiculous. The only certainty is a shinobi's life is not about doing what is just, but doing what is necessary."

Mei ran a hand through her hair as she knelt down next to Naruto's form on the ground and placed a firm hand on his chest, "I am not trying to defend your teammate Naruto. However I have told you before, I am not training you to be good in these finals. I am not training you to do great in these finals. I am training you to win these finals, and to be the champion of these chunin exams. In order to do that I need you to realize that in our life, where it is a constant struggle between life and death, there is no such thing as fair or just. I am going to train you to take every advantage, every opportunity, and then how to fight not just well, but tactically and intelligently. So do you accept that Naruto? Or shall our training together end here?"

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath of air, "No I get what you're saying." he said a bit bitterly. "But it's not like I have much of a choice either." he added. He hated the fact that she was right, not for the fact that she was right in general but more so since the subject was about Sasuke. Even when the Uchiha wasn't around, he somehow seemed to come up. "So what is this training method you have for me?" he said as he gently removed the woman's hand from his chest and sat up with a frown on his face.

Mei chuckled to herself and had a small smile on her face as she looked down at the boy and picked little pieces of dirt off his back. The sound of her laugh warmed Naruto's heart. He didn't have many friends to hang out with and the sound of laughter was something he heard in passing but didn't often take part in. He couldn't even remember the last time he had even heard playful laughter, and it not being someone specifically laughing at him like at the orphanage.

Mei stood up and sat back down on the large stone the two of them were formerly sitting on, "So now Naruto I am going to tell you a secret alright? Don't tell anyone. When you told me that you had possession of the shadow clone jutsu, I realized how I could train you. Now while it is one of Konoha's forbidden techniques, one of my shinobi had caught a Konoha shinobi sticking their nose in places they didn't belong in my village. As such when captured and facing interrogation, the coward had offered to trade jutsus in order to escape interrogation and leave the country. The Kage Bunshin was one of the techniques my shinobi obtained."

Naruto stared at her questioningly and tilted his head to the side silently, looking in wonder. This eventually proved to unnerve the woman and Mei closed her eyes in frustration and asked, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Naruto paused and opened his mouth to speak before closing it with a sigh. This happened several times as he tried to form the words and he eventually said, "Well... I am just curious now about what rank you are in your village. You consistently just said that they were "My shinobi" and "My village" "My shinobi obtained" you were talking as if they were your shinobi. I am ju-"

Mei eyes had widened momentarily at the boy's analysis of her statement and realizing her own error. 'And here they said that Uzumaki Naruto is a bit unobservant? I shouldn't be so careless.' She thought to herself as she realized that she would have to choose her own words more carefully when speaking to the boy from that point on. "I will tell you my rank and position when we arrive at the chunin exam finals, alright Naruto? Is that fair enough?" she said with a smile as she looked down on the jinchuriki.

Naruto reluctantly nodded his head. He wanted to know more about Mei, but not at the cost of him losing his only teacher for this month.

"The training I have never would have worked had I not found out today that you were the Kyuubi jinchuriki." Okay so maybe she lied a bit there, she always intended to have the boy go through with this training, she just didn't know when. "The shadow clone technique is unique and different from any other clone out there that I know of. The reason for this is because the shadow clone creates an exact copy of the user, and once dispelled, any information the clone obtains when summoned is transferred back to the user. Now I know you must be thinking, 'Why haven't I noticed it before?' and this is what I believe. What you have told me from your fights, you never used the clones to do anything more than full on frontal attacks. Frankly Naruto you are very tactical. They weren't really taking in more information, and I bet you felt that you were just very aware of your surroundings, rather than noticing that the clones were actually constantly sending information to you every time they were dispelled."

"The theory is that when you are using the clones for training, any form of training you do, besides physical training, the clones will retain that information and transfer it back to you. This training however would never work with anyone besides you Naruto, because you have such high chakra reserves. Other people wouldn't be able to sustain that many clones. Do you know how many clones you can make Naruto?" Mei asked, slightly anxious as she gave her explanation. The possibilities... all the things this boy could do if he chose to train like this constantly. A single body that has the opportunity to learn a full year of experience in a mere day if done right. He could be the most powerful shinobi on the planet. She could only thank Kami that other villages didn't know the Kage Bunshin jutsu, and Konoha had kept their jinchuriki ignorant. Otherwise all of the jinchuriki in the world could have thousands of years under their belt in experience before they have even left their teens.

Naruto frowned as he thought about it. He had been told that creating shadow clones were dangerous, but in all honesty, he had never felt the slightest chakra drain using them. That part he naturally blamed the fox for... not that it was a bad thing of course. Naruto shrugged after thinking it over, "I could probably make a thousand or something like that just fine. I don't really feel any chakra drain when I make them, so I don't know how many I can make really..."

Mei did her best to hold in her surprise when the boy said that he could make a thousand clones if not more. However when the boy had told her that, a whole new idea had come to mind that she couldn't help but grin at. "Naruto I have several things I need to help you with, such as your seal which you told me about. I will eventually get to it but... tell me... what do you know about your Nidaime Hokage?"

XXXXX

XXXXX

Naruto sighed as both he and Mei went off for their break from training. She had been training him since 8:30 in the morning till 3:30 in the afternoon. To most ninja, they wouldn't consider that very long. However what she had Naruto do would have tired any shinobi out. Naruto didn't know what Mei was getting at when she mentioned the Nidaime Hokage. Yet after she explained how the Nidaime Hokage became one of the greatest shinobi in the world, and thought of as the world's greatest water jutsu user by even shinobi of the Mist. His chakra reserves were that of which she could only compare to a former shinobi in their ranks. Naturally Naruto wanted to pry and find out more about their ranks and where Mei fell, but he bit his tongue so he wouldn't lose his teacher. Hoshigaki Kisame was the shinobi, supposedly the greatest of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman. He had a chakra supply of that of a tailed beast, and that was whom she compared the Nidaime to.

She explained to him that her people had been trying for years to pull the water molecules out of the air all so they could accomplish water jutsus without any pre-existing source. However it was just impossible for the average shinobi. The concept of pulling the water out of the air is extremely simple, yet the reason no one can do it is for the fact that they literally need to saturate the air around them constantly with bits of their chakra. It wouldn't really be that great of a technique if it weren't for the fact that since it is your chakra saturating the air, the water source that is then created by the technique can only be used by the creator.

So with that thought in mind she had Naruto start working on the technique with the assistance of many clones. Again it wasn't a hard concept or skill to learn. Many of her shinobi in the mist could do it... just not at any effective quantity due to how much chakra was required to do so. As such Naruto had picked up the technique quite quickly and was able to do it in a single area effectively. Now her task for him was one that she was even forcing him to practice now. Saturating the air with chakra even as they moved around. Something that would certainly be harder to do, but if he could learn how to do it he had the makings of becoming a shinobi that the world had not seen in a long long time.

"So how are you feeling Naruto?" Mei asked casually as they walked the streets of Konoha.

"Hungry." The blonde grumbled. Any energy ramen had once given him had been thoroughly spent.

"I meant with the technique Naruto." Mei replied in amusement.

"Oh." Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head embarrassed, "Well it's actually kinda strange. Like I can feel my chakra clinging to the moisture in the air, but it also clings to people, which I don't understand."

Mei raised an eyebrow at that. That was interesting. "Really? Does it only cling to certain people?"

"No." Naruto said shaking his head, "It clings to everyone. Even you. I can feel my chakra coating you as we have been walking along while I've been practicing this."

Mei briefly paused in her walk, "What are you trying to make your chakra do Naruto?"

"Find water for me to use." Naruto responded, "Didn't you say that is what I should be focusing on?" the blonde asked.

Mei however stood slightly unnerved, but smiled in response, "That's right." she said as they continued walking along. _'His chakra is recognizing the water inside of people.'_

They rounded the corner and Naruto started making his way to Ichiraku Ramen, but he was halted by Mei's firm hand on his shoulder. "You need to eat something other than Ramen. There is nothing wrong with how much you eat, however I am not going to sit here and eat Ramen for another week. Strength comes from protein, not salt." she finished spinning the boy around in the other direction.

Soon enough they were upon the BBQ restaurant frequently visited by team Asuma, so naturally he wasn't surprised when he saw their team there along with Yuhi Kurenai. However what Naruto didn't expect was to catch sight of Gai's team.

Immediately the sight of Neji made him start to grind his teeth. Their last encounter on the street a week ago was the push he needed to realize that he needed Mei's help. He was thankful for that. However he still hadn't forgotten that the bastard had been willing to attack him, a Konoha shinobi, simply because he thought he was their better. Not to mention that he was already an asshole to begin with. Who the hell hospitalizes their own cousin, even after he knew she was beat?

Naruto and Mei moved to get seated, although with the events prior Naruto couldn't help himself as he walked by Neji and he promptly kicked his chair quite hard, making it slide a good foot. Usually ninja's have an expert sense of balance and it wouldn't of been a problem except for the fact that Neji was busy eating with the grace of someone at a high end ceremony. The meat he had between his chop sticks fell flat to the floor and teriyaki sauce splattered onto his robes.

"Sorry." Naruto drawled out not meaning the apology for a second as he stopped following after Mei.

Although Neji's gaze was rather fierce and firm as he took in the sight of Naruto. He said loud enough for Naruto and those gathered to hear, "You should really respect your betters dead last."

Their interaction had gained the attention of most in the restaurant, mostly because of Naruto's presence, but now those watching eagerly awaited for Naruto's comeback, if he had one.

Naruto held back a scowl at Neji using the insult that was used by most of his classmates. He wondered if the fact that he had the lowest scores, and was the dead last in the academy would plague him for the remainder of his shinobi career? He wished he could have displayed that the insult didn't bother him, but it did. "I may be dead last, but I don't get mistaken for a girl." Naruto fired back.

Neji bristled in his seat and self consciously adjusted his hair a bit. He tried to look amused at the insult, despite the glare in his eyes, "I see. I guess failures flock together. I can see why Hinata is taken with you." he said calmly in a level speaking voice. It didn't stop the said voice from reaching all corners of the room since it was dead silent, everyone curious about the encounter between the Hyuuga prodigy and the village prankster.

"Failures really? Is that it? Well I never needed to cheat to win my matches. If you attack me like that again, I will report you to the Hokage."

Mei put a hand on Naruto's shoulder on that comment, surprised. Suddenly the few missing pieces she had about Naruto's return were coming together. She was just hoping that Naruto wouldn't do something stupid. Yet Naruto wasn't called the most unpredictable ninja for nothing.

"Don't worry Naruto." The Hyuuga said politely, "You are actually much more alike than you think. You see, I don't need anyone else to fight my battles for me. You will lose in our match, but it will have nothing to do with what happened outside of it." Neji said with a fake smile.

Naruto shrugged out of Mei's grip as he approached Neji, "You know what? You attack your comrades, and betray them. The people who are supposed fight at your side. I can't wait for the day that you're all alone, and no one is willing to help you because of it." Naruto said angrily before he turned his back on the Hyuuga.

The genin and their sensei's gathered around had ceased eating all together as they watched the encounter unfold, and the revelation that Neji had apparently attacked Naruto outside of the tournament. If Naruto had chosen to take the matter to the authorities initially, Neji could have been outright disqualified.

"I may one day be alone Naruto. Yet I will never be as lonely as you, and everyone here watching knows it." Neji said starting the timer on a bomb, and everyone knew it as Naruto immediately froze in his step.

Mei quickly moved from where she stood and wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulders, "Come on. You don't need to listen to that."

Neji's words had slipped past the iron and grazed the porcelain.

"Because he knows I'm right!" Neji said loudly as he wiped off his clothes, his piercing eyes focused on the blonde.

Gai on the other hand looked gobsmacked that his student would say such things. It had nothing to do with being youthful at this point. Naruto and Neji were Konoha shinobi. If they didn't have each other's backs, no one will. "Neji!" Gai voiced loudly his gaze firmly on his student.

"Where's your sensei Kakashi, Naruto?" Neji asked putting another crack in the porcelain.

"Neji! That is enough!" Gai yelled.

Naruto turned around his eyes brimming with anger, "Yeah! That is enough." Naruto said as he turned around to face the Hyuuga.

Although before any fight could truly unfold, Neji launched out with a palm thrust at the approaching Naruto sending him sliding to the ground and crashing into a table behind him, barbecue food spilling all over him.

The crowd stood up in shock at the events that unfolded.

"Report me for this if you wish, although then I will know you were afraid to face me."

Naruto was nearly shaking in rage with his eyes squeezed shut as he pulled a chunk of meat covered in barbecue sauce out of his hair and tossed it to the side. "I'm may be afraid of you. But you don't deserve to be in this exam." Naruto ground out as the meat hit the ground with a splat.

Neji returned a condescending grin as he gave a mock bow before he made his leave.

Gai however looked the worst out of the entire group of shocked onlookers. It was a look of queasy and uncomfortable disgust with what he just witnessed. "Naruto, I am deeply sorry for this!" Gai said as he bowed, "Please do whatever you feel is necessary. I actually insist that you report Neji for his actions."

"Gai-sensei!" Tenten exclaimed in surprise. She understood Naruto having all the right to do as he wished, but to encourage it?

"No Tenten! Neji is wrong. We are shinobi of Konoha. We should behave better than this. What binds us together is our willingness to help one another. Not to bring ourselves down." Gai said in one of the rarer moments where he was completely serious.

Mei knelt down beside Naruto, and promptly gathered the attention of all the people in the room since Neji had left. "Are you alright?" she asked as her hand glowed green with medical chakra.

Naruto brushed her hand away and shook his head, "I'm fine." he said as he grit his teeth standing up.

Mei retracted her hand with a weak smile, gently rubbing the blonde's shoulder. "Well I get it." she said earning Naruto's attention. "I get why you came back."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut briefly, refusing to let himself cry in front of all of these people. He had grown past that. "Yeah." Naruto confirmed as he left the barbecue place with a limp.

"Naruto, what do you want me to get you?" Mei called out after him.

"I'm not hungry." he said back as he continued limping away.

XXXXX Chapter End

XXXXX

Chapter 2 of the Rework

So I set out to do a couple things in this chapter. I felt that the original story was just one big explanation of how Naruto trained in the early chapters. Yet one big lesson I have learned over the years is that words matter. A lot of the language used in the early chapters slated Naruto as this protagonist against the adversity of everyone. It painted Kakashi, Sasuke, Neji, and everyone in a bad light making Mei his only light in the darkness only for her to later guide him the the rocks.

That was just silly looking back on it, but at the same time very much in line with the theme of fanfiction during those days. Thankfully we have all grown out of it, and so must this story. I realized that there is a difference from blatant bashing, and a character having his own opinion. You can have a bitter 15 year old wondering why his own sensei chose another over him, that is totally justified. However some of the other things that were just ragging on the characters, I've tried my best to cut.

Ideally this chapter will be the only one where you get a large chunk of how Naruto is generally training, and a lot of stuff was cut out of it to begin with. There were a couple lines thrown in there for foreshadowing of how Naruto's skillset is drastically changed and reduced for the story moving forward.

So then this brings us to the characters introduced. I wanted to gradually introduce more characters to the story to make the world feel a bit more alive. Neji in the original was just this flat antagonist with no ground to stand on. Here I hope to show not just where Neji is coming from, but also how it affects the relationships both he and Naruto have with others.

Now as I stated above. This chapter is probably the slowest out of all of the rewrites. I actually contemplated with releasing this chapter along with the next chapter to at least give this posting some speed. However I would be shortening my own writing time by a week, which I didn't like.

Now finally, this is going to sound like me advertising my own work, but F it. I think these early chapters of this story when I was first reading pale in comparison to what I was able to accomplish in Into The Darkness. So honestly, I'd urge anyone that just enjoys a good Naruto story to check that out. I'm far more proud of the pacing I was able to accomplish there, then the beginnings of this story here.

On another note. I **may** be posting the first chapter of a Naruto Warcraft crossover. But if I do, it's a fun story unlike anything that has been done in that category so far.


	3. Two? Three times? No

*Chapter 3*: Fool Me Twice? Three times? No

Timeskip one more week. Two weeks till finals.

XX

Naruto had a huge grin as he made his way down the street with a particular destination in mind. Ever since Naruto had started applying shadow clones to his training, every day and with every hour he would grow in leaps and bounds. He had since gotten the hang of drawing out water from the air around him, although he still had the problem of his chakra sticking to other people. The act of pulling water from the air didn't put much strain on his body, but it required a great deal of focus. However if the chakra he was trying to pull from was stuck to a person, the act provided a near unbearable amount of strain on him. He hoped that it was like a muscle, and the more he used it the easier it would become, however he wasn't sure and was really just hoping he didn't somehow damage his own chakra somehow.

The original idea they had was to work with Kenjutsu and the water cutting sword. However ever since his past two encounters with Neji, he didn't want to be smart and keep him at a distance with a blade. He wanted to beat him, straight up, with his bare hands.

Ever since he had told Mei that specific goal the two of them had been training together constantly. She revealed that earlier when she said it was impossible for someone to obtain incredible speed and strength in a month, she lied. There was a rare exception. There was a particular training that was given to shinobi with the assistance of medical ninja that involved healing growing muscles at a faster than normal rate, and stimulating their growth with chakra. Although the process was exhausting to a normal shinobi, and therefore was rarely used. Naruto however was willing to fight through the pain and exhaustion if only to wipe the smirk off of Neji's face.

The amount of taijutsu the pair worked on from that point forward nearly absorbed all of their time. They would occasionally try and add in Naruto's water manipulation to their training, but the issue with his chakra sticking to people often caused that portion of their training come to a halt.

The only other portion of their training was focused heavily on chakra control. Control of his chakra would further increase his control of water he manipulated. The goal was that Naruto would be able to manipulate the water in the fashion of jutsus without the need of actually going through hand seals. It reminded Naruto of Gaara's sand. He didn't quite know how he felt about that comparison.

Naruto broke himself from his train of thought as he appeared in front of the shinobi clothing store. Immediately he gained the butterfly feeling that he always initially got once he looked in the shop and caught sight of pink hair. Both Sakura and Ino were in one corner of the store, although Naruto did his best to go unnoticed. This was a trip for himself, and he didn't want to attract any other attention beyond that.

Mei despite the clothing she wore seemed to have a surplus of money. She had given Naruto an absurd amount of ryo to buy all of the clothing he desired from the store. She had offered ever since it became impossible to remove the brown barbecue sauce from his clothes with repeated washes. She just told him, "Get something nice, and blue."

Naruto could barely contain his grin. He usually never had money to buy clothes that he wanted, so he had faithfully stuck to a couple orange jumpsuits that had served him well over the past two years. Now he stood in between a sea of clothes with no idea where to start, except for it being something blue.

Naruto objectively considered himself to be in quite impressive shape before his training with Mei. The training Mei had him doing only further improved how toned his muscles were. The standard training of a civilian could take months to obtain a desired level of fitness, where with a shinobi it could be done in mere weeks with the assistance of chakra. One of the reasons Naruto couldn't help but be impressed with Lee who didn't have that privilege and yet still kept in the best shape possible.

Now Naruto was by no means bursting at the seams with his muscles, but he did have muscles that were quite firm hidden by his jump suit. A part of him wanted to get something a bit more revealing to show off his hard work, but Mei shot that idea down quickly as a bit impractical. It also allowed his opponents to see visibly how strong he appeared, which wasn't good. Lee was a prime example of someone who showed off their physique. He may have been covered from neck to toe, but the outfit was skin tight.

Naruto walked over to the area of the store dedicated to pants and shorts among other things. He was doing good job at staying out of Ino and Sakura's line of sight as well. Although as he continued to browse it was becoming very apparent that he had no idea what he was even looking for. He knew he wanted it to be sleek, comfortable, and practical. Although a typical clothing store wasn't the best place to find that.

"Naruto?" Ino's voice called out in surprise. "You're kidding me!" she all but shouted as she tossed her clothes on the rack and outright ran over to the blonde boy and gave him a huge hug.

"Woah! Hey Ino." Naruto said completely stiff. He had to wonder if everyone outside suddenly decided to have a 'Worship Naruto' day outside, because it felt about just as likely.

"What are you doing here?" Ino said in surprise as she had a smile splitting ear to ear as she brushed strands of hair behind her ear.

Naruto still looked like a deer in a spotlight as he said, "I'm shopping for clothes Ino." Naruto explained slowly still almost disturbed. This was probably the absolute longest conversation he had solely with Ino in a good five years.

Ino practically squealed in excitement, "Sakura come over here!" Ino cried out animatedly. "Naruto is buying new clothes!"

Sakura looked equally disturbed at the sight. She locked eyes briefly with Naruto to see if he shared her sentiment. He did. "I can see that Ino..." Sakura said slowly, an eyebrow raised.

Ino rolled her eyes and huffed as she let go of Naruto. "Oh come on girl. You can't tell me that this isn't the least bit exciting." She said before turning to Naruto, "Please tell me you are getting rid of that awful jumpsuit." the blonde girl said as she put her hands on her hips.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, the surreal situation suddenly making a bit more sense. "Yeah I am." Naruto said with a laugh.

Ino gave an over dramatic sigh of relief as she placed a hand on her chest, "Oh thank Kami." She said, "Well come on. Certainly no one showed you what to buy last time, but we will definitely not let that mistake happen twice. Come on Sakura." Ino all but ordered as she physically started shuffling Naruto along.

"We will?" Sakura repeated surprised as Naruto gave her a pleading look for help.

"Of course we will Sakura. Think of this as like a... civic duty or something." Ino said spouting off the first thing that came to mind as she moved Naruto several racks over. "Now this is some better stuff. So tell me Naruto, how much do you have to spend? Give it to me straight!" she said putting her hand up. "We can work something out! If you need me to lend you some money, I will just this once!" She continued on waving her hands around animatedly. Nothing was going to stop her from this mission.

Naruto looked over to Sakura for help, who in turn shrugged her shoulders. She didn't have an answer, but was equally surprised. And the only thing that shrug told him was that there was no way out of this. "Uhhh, I don't really have a budget." Naruto explained.

Ino's eyes immediately went wide with stars, and Naruto questioned if he should have said that.

"At least, I have a lot of money saved up." Naruto deflected.

"Well shiiieeeet Naruto!" Ino said as she slapped his chest with the back of her hand, "Look who has been saving up for this." Ino said with a grin she fired towards Sakura.

"Really?" Sakura asked as she crossed her arms. "You love that jumpsuit. Kakashi even suggested you wear something that wasn't orange."

Naruto shook his head, "Yeah I know. I like orange, but I agree that it isn't good for blending in when we're in the forest. I just didn't have the money to change it at the time."

"What were you spending all of your money on from our missions then?" Sakura wondered crossing her arms in confusion.

Naruto shrugged, "Rent. Food." he said noncommittally. Truth be told he probably had enough money saved up to buy new clothes if he wanted to break into the fund he saved for emergencies. Although he hadn't been that desperate for new clothes. Although Mei's offer was incredible and something he wasn't going to pass up.

"Oh." Sakura said quietly as she looked away slightly guilty. It was easy to forget that not everyone in their graduating class came from a prestigious clan or had both of their parents supporting them.

Ino snapped her fingers to get Naruto's attention again, "Hey, right here. So what is it you're looking for? Shinobi or casual?"

Naruto stood up straighter when Ino put on a tone that meant business, "Shinobi. I need new clothes for the exams and after. I have sorta worn these out training these past couple weeks. Growing a bit taller didn't help much either." Naruto said. His jumpsuit was clinging now a little bit high and close above his ankles.

Ino looked over Naruto realizing that she was even looking up to him slightly more than before, "Yeah I guess you have grown a bit." She muttered to herself as she looked him over like a tailor, "You are probably a bit taller than Sasuke's now." She continued to mutter.

Naruto rolled his eyes at the mention of Sasuke. His disappearance with Kakashi would probably be a sore spot for awhile no matter how well his training was going with Mei.

"So what else? You must have something in mind that you are looking for." Ino continued as she took a step back to look over the blonde.

"Well I was looking for something sleek, comfortable, and practical. I'd like dark colors so they work better on missions. And it has to have blue in there somewhere." Naruto listed off his thoughts, "Oh and maybe a hood or something to hide my hair." Naruto tacked on the end.

Ino's head spun slightly in surprise, "Well that was... really good." She said with a grin. "Here follow me, I know this store inside out!" she said as she escorted the other blonde her age.

Sakura fell in step alongside Naruto, "So why the blue?" she asked making casual conversation as Ino slowly began to pull ahead of them.

"Eh I think it would match my eyes well." Naruto lied.

Sakura's eyes opened in intrigue, "Oh?" She began, "I thought you were just trying to copy Sasuke or something." The pink hair girl remarked with a shrug.

Naruto scowled as he rolled his eyes, "The world doesn't revolve around him Sakura." Naruto grumbled.

Sakura looked affronted, "Hey! I didn't say that. I just thought you were going for his style because-"

"Because I couldn't make my own?" Naruto asked bitterly.

"No! That's not it. He just has a good style, that's all." Sakura said defensively. "What the hell has gotten into you?" she fired back angrily.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "You know Kakashi took Sasuke on a training trip for the month so that he could prepare him for the exams right?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, so what?" Sakura asked still slightly heated.

"Where do you think that left me?" Naruto fired back as it washed over Sakura.

"I'm sorry." Sakura said softly as it dawned on her.

Naruto shrugged with a sigh. "Not like it's your fault." Naruto muttered with a weak smile. This was the girl he had a crush on since he was a kid. Not the loud fiery tempered girl with a crush on his teammate. This was the soft spoken but incredibly smart girl that he met while she was picking flowers years ago being bullied by Ami. That moment reminded him of someone else quite well.

Ino returned with a single outfit in her arms, "Okay you two. While you have been talking, I did all the heavy lifting here! But trust me, you're going to love this." She said as she dumped a set of clothes in Naruto's arms.

"Where is the blue?" Naruto asked as he looked over the clothes. It was blacks and grays, but lacked the blue he needed. He wasn't going to go on an all expenses paid trip on someone else's money, and then not fulfil her one request.

Ino slapped his arm, "I'll get to that! Now put it on!" she demanded.

Naruto rolled his eyes with a sigh and stripped off his jumpsuit jacket and quickly tossed his torn undershirt aside in quick succession leaving two surprised but blushing girls standing next to him. Whether that was from embarrassment of being seen in a situation, or because of him, Naruto didn't know. "What?" Naruto asked, "You told me to put it on."

Ino palmed her face as she grabbed a dress on a hanger and held it up as high as she could like a curtain, which Sakura quickly followed suit. "I meant in the changing room you dumbass." Ino muttered as she forced herself to not look at the clueless blonde in front of her.

"Changing room?" Naruto asked confused.

Sakura however despite the situation looked amused at how clueless Naruto was, and was doing her best not to laugh by covering her mouth. "Over there Naruto." She gestured with a finger between giggles.

Naruto immediately took a peek out from behind Ino's 'curtain' only to catch sight of some of the other female staff staring at him in equal amusement.

Naruto cringed, "Sorry." he said as he quickly shuffled himself into the changing room with his new top clashing horribly with his jumpsuit pants. It was only when he stepped into the changing room and he heard the laughter of several women just outside that Naruto had one thought in mind. ' _Oh kill me._ ' Naruto thought as he knocked his head against the wall.

Ino moved with Sakura and sat down in the chairs just outside the changing room. "I'm an idiot." Sakura said quietly, "It didn't even occur to me that Naruto was probably training on his own these past two weeks. I probably could have done something to help him." Sakura said quietly.

Ino sighed, "Forehead, where have you been? You are just realizing that now? You haven't heard anything about what has been going on have you?" Ino asked as she crossed her legs and arms on the bench.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Didn't you hear about his encounter with Neji? Both my team and Gai's team were at the Barbecue restaurant Chouji's family owns. Naruto and Neji both got at each other's throats. I mean apparently Naruto claims that Neji attacked him the week before, not even in a spar or something like that. I don't really know the details on that though." Ino gossiped.

"Well what happened? What did Naruto do?" Sakura asked.

"Well actually Sakura, Naruto didn't really do much of anything. Both Naruto and Neji started firing insults back and forth, but Neji was the first one to break. He attacked Naruto and he fell back into a table with guests seating at it!" Ino whispered. "I mean Sakura, that is huge! If Naruto reports Neji, then he can be disqualified for attacking a competitor outside of the tournament. His sensei even suggested that he do it."

"I can't believe I didn't hear about this." Sakura said surprised.

"Well yeah. I mean aren't you on a team with him? I mean how do you work together if you can never talk outside of work?" Ino asked in disbelief.

Sakura sighed suddenly finding her shoes very interesting, "I don't know." Sakura muttered, "But it isn't Naruto's fault."

Ino shrugged, "Well whatever forehead. I'm going to go into the armory section and get the last pieces that he is going to need."

Sakura spun around on Ino, "Armor? Since when do any of us wear armor Ino?"

Ino did a little dance as she gave her friend a wink, "Since apparently we don't have a budget."

Sakura was left to her thoughts, but not for long. Soon enough Ino and Naruto had returned from their tasks respectively. The moment he stepped out of the changing room, Ino had rushed over and practically smothered him.

"Hold steady!" She said as she continued to pull at him, "Oh come on Naruto, do you walk with those feet?" She asked as she continued to tug him in this or that direction.

Once the deed was done Sakura smiled, "So how do you feel Naruto?" She asked.

Naruto gave a laugh, "Molested." he said bluntly, earning an elbow to the ribs courtesy of Ino.

"Tell him he looks hot." Ino said as she nodded her head in Naruto's direction.

Naruto immediately flushed red at the statement.

Sakura smiled in turn, "You do look good Naruto." Sakura provided with a smile.

The blonde's blush further increased as he rubbed the back of his head embarrassed. His stomach was doing flip flops. "Thanks Sakura-chan."

"Oh whatever!" Ino said as she rolled her eyes. "You look hot." Ino confirmed with a grin, "And dangerous. You're welcome!" She added with a grin.

Naruto put up his hands. That was as much as he could take, "Okay!" Naruto said quickly with an equally large grin breaking out on his face. "Thanks for helping me."

Ino scoffed, "Psh, you kidding me Naruto? What are friends for?" Ino remarked with a smile before she pulled the blonde into a hug.

Naruto's eyes widened briefly at the mention of friendship. He didn't even realize Ino considered him to be anything remotely close to a friend. "Yeah." Naruto said with a smile, and in one of the rare displays he shared any physical affection with a person.

The two pulled away and Naruto turned to look in the mirror now that Ino had finally finished his outfit. It was truly everything he had asked for from her and more. A dark gray hooded vest that was cut off at the shoulders with several buttons on the front that framed his torso before being tied off by his headband at the waist. Underneath that he wore a loose long sleeve shinobi shirt that matched his pants. They would have been baggy if it weren't for all of Ino's additions to the outfit. At the cut off of his shoulders were two shoulder plates with dark navy blue trim. Similar plates were also located on his forearms, and were the basis of his knee high boots.

"The plates you are wearing were actually developed rather recently by the Konoha's shinobi science division. They are a lightweight alloy that is flexible, nonreflective, and the forearm portion has properties specifically tailored to assist with chakra control. I heard you could use a bit of help with that." Ino explained with a smile.

Naruto whistled to himself as he looked himself over in the mirror. "I definitely owe you Ino, this is perfect."

Ino smirked, "I know. And I know." She said with a bit of sass.

Naruto smiled, "Hey, I don't want to run out on you, but I really need to get back to training for these matches."

"Mhm." Ino said with her arms crossed in amusement, "I put three more sets of the same clothes up at the front, and you're already rang up for what you're wearing."

Naruto reeled at Ino in surprise. "Really? Ino, you're amazing." Naruto said as they moved to the register.

"Haven't I already told you that I know? Come on now, get out of here." She teased finally as the blonde quickly paid for all of his items.

Naruto chuckled, "Yes ma'am." he said

"Let me know if you ever need someone to go shopping with again!" Ino yelled after him as he rushed off in his new threads.

XXXXXX

XXXXXX

Time skip, 7 days till the finals.

Naruto gave a heavy sigh as he walked down the street beside Mei. It was a sigh of relief. The training that he had been doing with Mei proved to help him incredibly so. Through the rather brutal physical training supplemented by medical chakra he was going through, his muscled had firmed up quite nicely. He felt significantly stronger than he ever had. His taijutsu had also improved dramatically under Mei's tutelage.

His training with water manipulation had also improved. He could now manipulate the water through the air at quick speed very similar to the way Gaara manipulated his sand. He had a feeling that his initial success was due to whatever chakra control properties were assisting him from his bracers. However over the course of the week he had been able to replicate the level of control without his bracers. Needless to say, his control when he was wearing them was quite impeccable. However he still found himself unable to move much when he manipulated water. That was the next mountain to climb on his list.

Although on a more positive note, Mei loved the clothes. She remarked that with a mask he would probably look quite menacing. He filed that information away for a later date alongside Ino's comment of him looking dangerous.

As Naruto walked down the street with Mei in step with him, he could barely suppress his grin. The thought that he had come so far in such little time? All he needed was the experience, and he knew that he would become quite the shinobi. This was something Mei also took time to acknowledge and she even told him that she would try and figure out a way for Naruto to gain some more practical experience before the exams.

Yet his happy and cheerful mood instantly turned cold as he rounded the corner on a restaurant. He then remembered exactly why he had been training, and why he had needed to get new clothes in the first place. The boy's words had cut deep, and while the scar no longer hurt, they were still there.

Neji was sitting in the outside area of the BBQ restaurant where they had their last encounter. Naruto grit his teeth at the thought of the past encounters he had with the boy over the past month.

Mei had caught eye of Naruto's sudden stop. "Naruto, save your anger for the arena. You are better than this. If you both get into a fight now, you both could be disqualified. You winning the tournament and achieving the rank of chunin is more important than a street brawl, remember that."

"Oh I'll remember it. Although if he says anything to me, I will say something back. And if touches me again..." Naruto ranted off.

"Naruto. If he touches you again, do nothing. Konoha has laws for a reason, and they will uphold them. Your task of victory will become much easier if your opponent gets himself disqualified for his actions." Mei said as she gently squeezed Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto tightened his jaw, "I can't wait to see this guy in the arena." Naruto ground through his teeth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX Meantime at the table with Neji XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The table was littered with several Konoha shinobi that had made it to the preliminary rounds of the exams. Kurenai's team was present with the exception of Hinata who was still on the tail end of her recovery. Naturally She was not the greatest fan of the Hyuuga male sitting at the table, but she wasn't going to let that boy get in the way of her spending time with her boyfriend, Asuma, and letting her genin bond with other teams.

Asuma had all of his genin here, and he had for the majority of the past week had a fourth member to his team in Sakura. Despite how much both Ino and Sakura fought each other in their rivalry over Sasuke, they still remained good friends. This only became even more evident after their battle at the preliminaries for the exam. Yet he had to admit, as bratty at the two could get, they were both rather amusing and fun company to have around. Especially with the fact that until just recently, both Shikamaru and Chouji were wrapped up with their families most of the time training.

Shikamaru sat at the table leaning his head back over his chair. He was tired, and that much was obvious to everyone around the table. When his dad had found out that he had made it to the chunin exams, despite the lazy attitude that they both shared, they had both decided to dive right into training for the finals. However the day to day training wasn't so bad... at least until this week where it had begun to take a toll on his chakra coils. It was one of the main reasons as to why he had free time right now to go out with his friends. He wasn't supposed to be training. From now on, he would just work on strategy with his dad at night before bed, and a bit more in the mornings before he went in to get his assignments for the day.

Sakura and Ino spent their time at the table chatting amongst themselves. They both were throwing ideas back and forth about what exactly Sasuke was learning from Kakashi during this one month period, and what Naruto and the other competitors were up to. They hadn't heard or seen the blonde or the Sand shinobi ever since they helped him pick out his new clothes and the preliminaries respectively.

The final group gathered at the table were that of Gai's team, and Neji's younger cousin Hanabi. Lee however was still held up in the hospital gravely injured. The group were the most quiet of the bunch, but it was obvious that there was an underlying animosity between both teacher and student. Gai was struggling to support his student when his actions were as unyouthful as they could come. Crippling his cousin? Attacking fellow Konoha shinobi multiple times? Gai found it difficult to stand behind his student and support him when every instinct he had was telling him not to.

The group sat at the table calmly talking, they had more than likely just finished eating and were just sitting around talking and drinking their sodas. Though the group's topic was of the gossip that the young graduates had continually been stumbling upon.

"Neji, I still don't understand how you could do that! He wasn't even trying to attack you." Tenten said in frustration, her rose tinted glasses regarding her teammate slipping off her face. Everyone at the table knew that the subject was extremely touchy for the weapon user, and that she felt extremely torn on trying to support her crush on the subject.

Neji stayed silent and calmly took a sip of his tea before replying, "That boy runs around the village proclaiming how great he is, and how he will become Hokage. He is delusional, and an academic failure that needed to be put in his place before his own arrogance in his abilities will truly hurt someone. Throughout his entire shinobi career, he has talked so much yet trained so little. However despite this no one has said anything for whatever reason. It is time that someone put him in his place. Beyond that fact Tenten, my actions don't require any defense. If you put me in the same scenario, I would do it again."

The group stayed silent at that, Kurenai giving the boy narrowed eyes as she let his words sink in. "Oh, and is that how you felt about Hinata as well?" Kurenai fired back. However before the group could continue down the rather toxic subject, Naruto walked into the barbecue restaurant, and suddenly everyone was forced to go through a level of deja vu.

"Back for more Naruto?" Neji said immediately looking to get a rise out of the blonde.

Mei gently clasped Naruto's shoulder as they continue to move on. "Don't pay attention." she whispered.

"I see you have gotten yourself new clothes. It would be a shame if they got dirty _again_." Neji continued to taunt.

Gai sat at the table, a pair of chopsticks snapping between his finger as he leveled a glare at his student. "Neji..." Gai said in a warning voice.

Although Neji continued, "And finally Dead Last, you know your place."

Although Gai wasn't the only one who had heard enough. Ino slammed her hand down on the table just as Tenten elbowed the boy in the ribs. "Neji! Stop this!"

"I am merely stating a fact." Neji said as he sat up straight in his seat and returned to his food.

Naruto who had been staying silent trying his best to control himself shrugged out of Mei's grip and spun around to face the group. "You know what? You don't get to call me that." Naruto said firmly.

"A failure?" Neji shot back.

"Dead Last!" Naruto said firmly as he stepped forward. "I hated that nickname in the academy when all of the other kids would call me that. And you know what? You have no right to call me that now."

Neji was unphased, "Really Dead Last?" The uptight Hyuuga announced.

Naruto's lips formed into a smirk, "See you're all talk. You talk down to me like you're better than me. You did the exact same thing with Hinata. Yet the truth is, you're not better than me. You're not worth my time. You keep trying to start these fights with me because you think I have something to prove Neji. The truth is, the only time you are ever going to lay a hand on me is during this month is outside the arena. So you better get it out of your system now, before we meet in the exam."

Neji's piercing eyes were locked onto Naruto as he looked him over. "Truth? You speak of truth and fact, but you Uzumaki Naruto don't believe what you are saying. You talk big as well Naruto, and hide yourself in new clothes. Yet you will still always be the Dead Last student of the academy that will never amount to nothing." Neji said coolly.

"Enough!" Gai yelled, "Naruto if you wish it, you have my permission to challenge Neji to a duel right now or I will gladly go with you to report his actions to the Hokage. Although if it is a duel you want, as his sensei, I accept on his behalf if you wish it." Gai said as he stood up, his eyes apologetic but brimming with both rage and disappointment.

Naruto looked at Gai and smiled, "That's alright Gai. That's unnecessary. I'll just wait for the tournament." Naruto explained as he forced himself to turn around.

"You know that you wouldn't be the victor. You are already fated to lose that fight. Whether you choose to have it now or later doesn't matter."

Naruto chuckled to himself, "Whatever Neji. Why fight here when only a portion of the village will see?" Naruto said finally brushing him off.

"Indeed. Whatever. Because a village orphan will never amount to anything, and certainly not Hokage." Neji said bluntly as Naruto surged back around.

"Stop it! Now!" Hanabi, the younger sister of Hinata yelled standing up as Naruto was quickly approaching to get in Neji's face.

Although in a familiar set of events as Naruto approached, Neji moved to strike.

Neji launched up in an instant from his seat, his byakugan activated and striking out with his hand in a familiar fashion, once again catching Naruto in the chest with his palm thrust. Although before anything could continue further, Gai quickly restrained Neji.

Naruto had slid a few feet backwards with a wince. Although it wasn't the pain that hurt. The palm thrust was hard and chakra enhanced by the Hyuuga families typical Jyuuken technique. The attack had outright torn a hole directly in the center chest piece of Naruto's new clothes.

"No!" Ino cried out in anger as she saw her work torn to shreds. "Not even a week!" she cried out.

Naruto grimaced and suddenly felt a great deal guiltier and unfortunate at the circumstance. The blow didn't hurt, but Ino's hard work being destroyed right in front of her did.

"Naruto!" Gai called out as he dragged Neji away, "Meet me at the Hokage Tower and I will personally be there to testify on Neji's actions here today. What my student has done here is against the law, and it will not be tolerated." Gai claimed.

Naruto numbly nodded as he grabbed the tattered piece of cloth that was flapped over exposing his chest. "Alright."

As Gai removed Neji from the vicinity by force, the rest of those gathered around fell into a period of silence at what had just transpired.

Naruto sighed as he tore at his now ruined shirt. "Well I guess I'm going to go home and change." Naruto grumbled out.

Mei however calmly fell in place beside Naruto as she gently put a hand on his shoulder. She knew exactly what needed to be said to plant that initial seed of doubt within the blonde. "So this is how Konoha displays it's Will of Fire? I expected more." Mei asked just loud enough for both Naruto and the group gathered around to hear.

As the duo left, the remainder of the group was left with a deal of guilt hanging over their shoulders.

Silently in the corner, a look of suspicion is shared between both Kurenai and Asuma.

XXXXXXX Chapter End XXXXXXXXX

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This is the last of the rather slow chapters that takes place a month before the exams. These first few chapters is mainly used to introduce the main characters, and more so gloss over the events of the month. I was actually really tempted to post this chapter alongside the following chapter because they are so slow and not much happens. However as I have mentioned prior, that would shorten the time I have writing the following arc by a week. Add to the fact that I am honestly more focused on Into the Darkness right now(I just think it's the better story), I want all the time I can get.

So this chapter was rather simple. It introduces some new characters giving them their first lines. Hopefully you can see where Neji's head is at, even if it seems out of character to him. To me Neji is largely someone who feels he is a victim of fate, blowing in this or that direction wherever someone tells him to. It's the life he has had to live. No matter how hard he has tried to change that reality, even becoming a known prodigy, he can't change that. Then here comes along this kid claiming that he is going to achieve greatness, not only that but also distracts the future leader of the clan from her own studies. Meanwhile this kid really doesn't do anything to push himself.

I know a lot of people in the fanfiction universe love to hop on the "Naruto has a lot of heart" type situation. However the truth is that Naruto is a kid trying to play at war. Skipping out on training to pull pranks, getting put in detention, and wasting people's time. Now we feel sympathetic to him because he is this underdog outcast. However he is an underdog outcast largely because of his own actions. Yet no one ever really called him out on that.

Here, Neji is.

Anyways the following chapter is going to take place in the exam. Usually not one to give previews of a chapter, but I will just this one time.

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"You got anything to say to me?" Neji asked as they waited for the match to be counted in, a smirk plastered on his face.

Naruto stood across from him in a set of his new clothes, his eyes icy and firm. "A whole lot actually." he said loudly, his voice carrying up to the now nearly silent arena. "At first I made a promise to Hinata that I would win for what you did to her. However now it is more than that."

"Is it because I called you a failure? It is your destiny to lose this match Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone in the stands knows this. An academic failure will never go on to be Hokage. The odds are grossly stacked against you." Neji in his typical pretentious and condescending tone of voice.

"You claim to know so much about me that after our last encounter I decided to look into your own history. You talk a lot about destiny for someone without any control of their own. Born and branded a slave. While it is entirely possible that I _may_ never go on to become Hokage, you will _never_ be more than a slave to your family." Naruto said as Neji bristled at the word slave. "However if you think that just because I may not become Hokage that I can't beat your ass up and down this arena, come take the first swing. You seem to be pretty good at that." Naruto said as he extended his chin.


	4. Difference between Justice & Punishment

**This note is rather important, so I would suggest taking the second to read it.**

The way I believe in writing fight scenes in stories(And this is after years of reading fanfiction) is that every fight scene should change something in the story. Characters need to grow and change within the scene. Additionally you will never see big Jutsu names in bolded text being thrown around in my stories, it just won't happen.

This chunin exam tournament, I have tried hard to have both growth for the character as well as making the battle feel very unique. Whether it be a mystery as to who is currently in the lead, Perhaps a psychological battle ridden with fear, or a battle rooted in science, or one against all odds. You will see these battles in my story. However if the battle would otherwise not promote something along these lines, there won't be one written.

So for those of us out there that simply prefer to skim over battles in stories because of the "Seen one, seen them all" mentality? I would highly suggest taking the time to read it.

Finally I also tried to keep the theme of Naruto that was largely character growth within conflict, rather than the typical fanfiction conflict without growth. So I hope you enjoy what this exam has to offer.

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"Hinata! You made it!" Kiba said quickly as he scooted over in his seat. "Akamaru and I saved you some food."

Hinata smiled as she looked out to the field. Down on the field was the sensei of Neji's team, Gai. He was standing alongside Naruto. Across from them was Neji, and a taller equally wide eyed man. "Is that my father?" Hinata asked in surprise. "I thought I had missed their match." She said meekly.

Kiba rolled his eyes as he took a large bite of a hotdog. "You haven't missed anything. This would have been an interesting match if they could have started already, but they are already like thirty minutes delayed." Kiba grumbled.

"What happened?"

To their left a chunin with a white bandage over his nose piped in, "When Neji had stepped out onto the field for his match, Gai had leapt down there to step in. Apparently due to Neji Hyuuga and his repeated assault against his opponent during the month long grace period for the exam they have been trying to figure out if Neji is legally allowed to participate."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, "Neji attacked Naruto-kun? When did this happen?"

Kiba shrugged his shoulders as he scratched Akamaru under the chin, "Pretty much the past few weeks you've been in the hospital Hinata. I thought Gai was going to help Naruto take care of this. The only thing it seems they have accomplished is getting a bunch of roster changes for this exam. It's driving the bookies crazy."

Hinata's gaze fell down to her father and Naruto with worry, "Is Naruto-kun still going to fight Neji-san? What is the new roster?" the purple haired girl asked quietly.

The chunin beat Kiba to the punch as he handed the girl a pamphlet, "They passed these around five minutes ago." the chunin provided.

 **Chunin Exam Tournament**

 **Due to impending disqualification the following changes have been made.**

 **Bracket 1: Temari of the Desert vs Kankuro of the Desert**

 **Bracket 2: Gaara of the Desert vs Aburame Shino**

 **Bracket 3: Nara Shikamaru vs Kinuta Dosu**

 **Bracket 4: Uchiha Sasuke**

 **Bracket 4.5: Uzumaki Naruto vs Hyuuga Neji**

"But this means that either Naruto or Neji have one more match than anyone else." Hinata realized.

"Perhaps it will teach these genin to take care of their matters before the big day. Although I understand where the blonde kid is coming from. Going up against one of the Hyuuga clan, he doesn't stand a chance."

Kiba grinned, "Want to make a bet on that?"

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"This is ridiculous, you cannot just disqualify a member of my clan. Half of the incidents involved, Neji was doing his duty to the clan. He is supposed to defend my daughters with his very life. Without them, Konoha would no longer have a Hyuuga clan."

"I was there Hiashi. I saw the actions of your nephew. My student! They were disgraceful to your clan, and to Konoha!" Gai proclaimed angrily. "I personally escorted Naruto to the Hokage tower this week to take care of this matter before today, however the Hokage was busy with other matters." Gai explained as he gave Genma a knowing look. Although Hiashi appeared to be none the wiser.

"And you filed a complaint yes? I saw the complaint. It is preposterous. Someone of my family would never be so dishonorable. I believe that it is in fact you Maito-san that is angry at the fate of your prized student not being in these exams, and my nephew is."

"This has nothing to do with Lee! This has everything to do with Neji's unyouthful actions this past month. Had my message been addressed, we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"The message was received and ignored. The reply I had delivered to you said as much. If this incident truly occurred multiple times than Uzumaki-san would have stepped forward after the first encounter. He wouldn't have waited until days before the exam to make these accusations."

"Are you suggesting I am a liar Hiashi? There were witnesses!" Gai proclaimed coolly. The eyes of two masters of very different martial arts opposing one another.

"I am suggesting that with recent circumstances that your judgment in matters such as these should come into consideration."

Gai gave one of his rare truly displeased looks as he turned to Genma, "You don't truly believe this do you? I would never testify against my own student unless I felt the matter was just."

Genma rolled his senbon in his mouth as he looked at the two adults lazily, "Look. I wasn't there, I don't know who is telling the truth. We have already switched the brackets around at random to give both parties involved unfavorable positions in the tournament. However what I can tell you is that you both are holding up a rather expensive tournament and making the crowd rather unhappy." The proctor said in an uninterested tone.

"But how is that fair?" Gai asked, "You punish Naruto for the actions of a single individual. This wasn't even his fault!" Gai proclaimed outraged.

"Not that these changes will change the outcome of this battle. It was decided the moment our names were drawn together." Neji piped in from the silence.

Naruto scoffed, "It's alright Gai-san. It's like we saw at the Hokage's office. I told you nothing would happen. But thank you for your effort. I'm ready to just get these matches on their way." Naruto said politely.

"But Naruto-" Gai began as Naruto held up a hand.

"Look, I get it Gai, but I have no desire to see some form of symbolic justice. I feel a need for actual justice. These people see me and think I'm weak. They want to take care of me. But I can take care of myself." Naruto said firmly as his eyes locked on Neji.

Hiashi shook his head in irritation, "Well if this incident is finally out of the way, I will return to my youngest in the stands." He said with a formal bow, "Neji." he addressed simply with a nod before he made his exit.

Gai's exit however took longer as he turned on the young Hyuuga, "Win or lose Neji, we are not done." Gai said coolly.

Genma twirled his senbon once again with his mouth, "Alright you two, get in the center of the arena and I'll count you in."

The two young boys walked off, both of them ready to begin their awaited match. The two of them had their eyes locked on each other. The tension was visible to anyone that had seen any encounter between the two of them over the course of the month. Others in the stands probably wondered about their impending disqualification.

"Genma." Gai addressed quietly before he made his leave.

"Hn?" The jounin sounded off around the senbon.

"Be ready to step in if the match becomes out of hand." Gai said firmly with complete seriousness in his eyes.

Genma's eyes widened briefly before he numbly nodded his head as Gai vanished in a swirl of leaves.

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"You got anything to say to me?" Neji asked as they waited for the match to be counted in, a smirk plastered on his face.

Naruto stood across from him in a set of his new clothes, his eyes icy and firm. "A whole lot actually." he said loudly, his voice carrying up to the now nearly silent arena. "At first I made a promise to Hinata that I would win for what you did to her. However now it is more than that."

"Is it because I called you a failure? It is your destiny to lose this match Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone in the stands knows this. An academic failure will never go on to be Hokage. The odds are grossly stacked against you." Neji in his typical pretentious and condescending tone of voice.

"You claim to know so much about me that after our last encounter I decided to look into your own history. You talk a lot about destiny for someone without any control of their own. Born and branded a slave. While it is entirely possible that I will never go on to become Hokage, you will never be more than a slave to your family." Naruto said as Neji bristled at the word slave. "However if you think that just because I may not become Hokage that I can't beat your ass up and down this arena, come take the first swing. You seem to be pretty good at that." Naruto said as he extended his chin.

Neji's eyes were narrowed and hardened as the veins appeared at the side of his eyes signifying the activation of his byakugan. "You know nothing of what you speak of." Neji said as he settled into a fighting stance. "Although I will take great pleasure in your look of despair as you realize that your foolish vow is impossible to keep."

"Do you two plan to stand here and talk all day?" Genma said as he plucked his senbon from his mouth.

Neji smirked in response knowing he had said his piece.

Naruto however briefly scanned the arena with his gaze hoping to find sight of Mei. She had said that she would be running a bit late for the tournament, but that he better not lose during the first match. Otherwise she would be pretty disappointed that she spent all month training him for that.

Although when it quickly became apparent that Mei in all of her blue glory wasn't in the stands, Naruto turned back to Neji.

"I just want to say one more thing. You claim to know me. People claim to know me. The truth is you don't. You think you had a tough childhood because your dad is gone? You? Living in your rich house babysitting your richer cousins. I grew up an orphan. Few people gave a shit about me and what I was doing with my life. However I turned it around as best as I could, and I became a ninja." Naruto said loudly. This wasn't just to Neji. This was something he had wanted to say to everyone that had doubted him or called him names for a long time.

"I may not have earned myself good grades. I didn't even go to class that often. I was too busy vandalizing people's things for attention. Like you, I may not have respected the law, but I submitted to it when I was caught. Yet here you are caught and called out by your own sensei, and you hide behind your families name as they bail you out of trouble you started because you come from some kind of royalty. Know that when this is said and done that you had asked for this." Naruto finished coolly as he gave a nod to the proctor.

Neji smirked in response to Naruto's speech. "Not everyone is created equal. Life isn't fair."

"I know."

Genma looked between the two of them before he called the match.

"Begin!"

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"Nice of you to join us Gai." The silver haired jounin remarked with a grin behind his mask. "Looks like I'm not late for once."

"I'm not in the mood Kakashi." Gai said seriously as he leaned against the railings to look over the starting fight.

"You do realize that you're only on time because the rest of the tournament was postponed right?" Kurenai stated as she crossed her arms.

Kakashi smiled, "That just means I should have spent more time at the barbecue place I stopped at on the way."

Asuma groaned loudly from the right, "I've seen that place more than enough this month."

"Sounds like there is a story there." The scarecrow pried.

Asuma took a drag on his cigarette before he spoke on the exhale, "Long story short, Neji encountered Naruto the first week out of the preliminaries and each consecutive week Gai's student attacked Naruto at the barbecue place in front of all of us." Asuma said in a single breath before coughing on the last bits of smoke.

Kakashi gained a surprised look, "Why did that happen? Didn't Ebisu and Gai step in?"

"Ebisu? Ebisu-san wasn't with Naruto."

"He wasn't? Then who trained Naruto this month?"

Kurenai laughed at the question, "I can't believe you have more students in this final than any of us when you blatantly neglect them."

"I didn't neglect them. I asked Ebisu to train Naruto this month because I told Sasuke I would help him with managing his sharingan with his recent curse mark." Kakashi explained.

"Oh so you just play favorites? Because that worked out so well for Team Sevens in the past." Kurenai remarked unamused.

Kakashi turned away from the woman as he shifted his headband uncomfortably, "So he was really on his own?" Kakashi asked with guilt.

Gai spoke up for the first time since he arrived, "No, there was a woman."

"A woman?" Kakashi repeated, "Do you have a name? Do you know what she taught him."

Off to the side Asuma's cigarette fell out of his mouth as he watched the fight, "Probably that." he muttered.

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Naruto charged forward the moment the match was called after throwing a volley of kunai.

"You idiot! A frontal attack will never work!" Kiba's voice yelled over the stadium as Naruto continued to charge.

Neji deflected a blow from Naruto with ease forcing him to the left.

The blonde sprung back and spun his leg around hoping to connect his heel with Neji's jaw. Although the attack ended in immediate failure as the blonde boy continued his assault.

"Naruto watch out!" Sakura cried from the balcony beside Ino. Naruto was being played right into Neji's hands.

In a familiar fashion, a palm thrust slammed into Naruto's chest the moment Neji closed the distance.

Naruto recoiled sliding back as Neji pressed his advantage with a single jyuuken strike aiming downward making contact with the blonde's bicep.

Naruto cringed and gasped out in pain as he rolled backward from the attack. Although the damage had already been done.

"You made many claims only to have your chakra sealed in your right arm." Neji mocked. "I hope you weren't planning on using any jutsu Naruto."

Naruto's face contorted in anger, "I'm going to kick your ass!" he yelled animatedly as he rushed forward once again.

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"Man, this will be dull." Shikamaru grumbled as he leaned against the railing overlooking the exam from the competitors box. "It should be obvious now that a head on attack will never work against someone like Neji. I hope I don't have to watch Naruto beat his head into a wall for however long this match lasts."

"Maybe it's just to be expected. Konoha shinobi aren't that smart after all." Temari, the blonde of the desert trio remarked.

"I thought that was a blonde trait." Shikamaru quipped back in disinterest as Temari bristled and turned away from pineapple haired boy.

"I believe there is more to Naruto than we have seen yet." The Aburame clan member stated before characteristically pushing up his glasses.

"And what makes you say that Shino?" The lazy genius continued to grumble.

"All of us in this room have spent the last month training for this event. Naruto has not displayed any technique, not even his clones. Perhaps he is planning something." Shino suggested.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "I'm pretty good friends with Naruto. Naruto and plans are usually mutually exclusive."

"If you believe that, then you don't really know him that well." Naruto's teammate said from his position near the back of the room. He stood in the shadows, his eyes closed and arms crossed uninterested in the fight going on below.

"Must be nice not having any worries Sasuke. No matter who you end up fighting, you will get someone already tired out from their match. The perks of running late I suppose?"

"Hn. Naruto will be fine by the time our match starts."

In the other corner of the room Kankuro of the desert stepped forward, "What makes you so sure that he is going to win his match?"

Sasuke grinned, "Like I said. If you think that Naruto is going to lose to anyone but me, you don't know him very well."

Shikamaru let his head hit the rail, "I wish I had the energy to be that arrogant." he muttered.

Shino lowered his glasses with a raised eyebrow as he leaned in closer to get a better look, "It appears that Sasuke may in fact be correct Shikamaru."

The sound ninja Dosu attracted everyone's attention as he said, "I thought that ability was only capable of being done by your Nidaime Hokage."

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"The definition of insanity is performing the same action over and over again expecting a different outcome. Your delusions of grandeur suddenly make sense if this is your intended tactic to defeat me." Neji poised as he went through the familiar series of blocks, "You are still the loud incompetent Dead Last shinobi from the academy." Neji said as one of his blocks sent Naruto to the ground.

Naruto swung out with his foot following through the same assault he had just completed. However where the assault had ended the past two times, this one did not.

As Neji moved in to strike Naruto with his palm, the blonde chopped downward through the air with his hand. Overhead a large and heavy pool of water immediately materialized and slammed down on Neji's crown.

Neji stumbled forward from the unexpected attack, earning himself a rather brutal knee to the face.

Naruto grabbed Neji by the end of his long hair as another bolt of water flew at him from the right when he was unable to run. It crashed into him violently, and would have pushed him a great distance if it weren't for Naruto's hold on him.

Thunk!

As the water attempted to carry Neji away Naruto yanked him back in once again leaving the Hyuuga boy prone.

Neji scrambled for one of the kunai he had discarded earlier from Naruto's assault, and cut right through his hair at the end in a single slash before he sprang backwards.

Although the onslaught of water didn't stop as it followed Neji. Every motion of a punch or a kick Naruto performed let out an onslaught of water in Neji's direction.

Neji deflected each bolt of water with a chakra enhance palm that splattered the water away with significant force. However the moment the onslaught of water became too much, water began to slam against Neji's body and stick to his glowing blue form.

Soon Neji began spinning stationary in a circle as a large dome of chakra was released from his body grinding out a crater in the wet soil.

"How." Neji said in shock his eyes narrowing.

"While you were babysitting your cousin this past month eating barbeque and causing fights, I was training." Naruto returned, "It is amazing what can be accomplished with a little motivation." Naruto said as he stood in a relaxed stance.

" _What do you want me to say Naruto? Do you want me to lie to you and tell you that your matches in this tournament will be easy now with your new abilities? They won't. I know a lot about the Byakugan and I have seen it's uses in battle Naruto. It is very powerful. Your best bet would be to lead your opponent into a false sense of security, and punish him with your element of surprise. Yet if your opponent was able to beat a member of the main branch family, there is no telling what type of techniques he may be hiding."_

Naruto tightened his jaw as he looked at the crater that had formed at the boy's feet. Mei had been right. He hadn't expected that.

"You were holding back. All this time." Neji gasped out as he collected his breath again. He reached up to a warm wet trickle that was running down his face. Touching the crimson blood he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "However I won't make the mistake of underestimating you again Uzumaki Naruto. You squandered the only chance you had to defeat me."

Naruto's eyes remained firm and cold.

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' _Now that I know about his control over water I can look out for it. Although I can no longer afford to wait for him to come to me. I may run out of energy before him if I choose to do that.'_ Neji thought to himself. _'I need to strike fast. I can defeat him in close. If I can close the tenketsus in his arms, his manipulation will go with them.'_

Neji charged in with impressive speed yet remained graceful. Every second he was advancing. Advancing. Advancing. It was a dance. Each bolt of water that came his way was avoided with incredible speed and flexibility.

Duck. Weave. Move to the left. Flip.

The closer he advanced to Naruto, the faster the water bolts started flying, and the greater their precision.

Neji flipped inward past two bolts that streamed his way before going to the ground for a sweep.

Naruto dodged the first strike but the two tenketsu strikes that Neji followed with struck the blonde painfully in his thigh and abdomen.

Naruto stumbled back from the strikes.

Neji continued his advance.

Water bolts continued to fly at him from the sides that he would have to leap over or duck. Although with each strike that he was able to place, the blonde's control would waver over the water.

Neji smirked as he let loose a series of strikes at the blonde's chest. The wince of pain that went across his face was enjoyable. His shoulder pads and bracers made it difficult to target his arms, but this was the next best thing.

Neji slapped his leg bending it crudely to the side. A vicious kick sent Naruto sprawling backwards across the dirt. "So much for not letting me hit you." Neji muttered as he pressed his advance.

Naruto stood slowly and injured.

"Gentle Fist Art - Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms." Neji announced as he slid into one of the rare fighting stances of the Hyuuga clan. "You are within range."

Neji narrowed his eyes as across from him Naruto mirrored the exact stance that Neji had fallen into. "Your mockery of the technique will only make your defeat all the more humiliating." Neji announced as he took one step forward, and Naruto mirrored him in sync. Neji smirked as Naruto mirrored another one of his steps. "See how long you will be able to keep your mimicry up."

Neji spun himself in to close the distance as Naruto mirrored his actions.

"Eight Trigrams Two Palms!" Neji announced as he launched his first two strikes. Although Neji's eyes widened as Naruto had copied the exact same movements as his fingers connected directly with Neji's.

"Four Palms!" Neji announced brushing it off as a fluke.

A feeling of dread crept up within Neji as he only connected with finger tips once again.

"Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms!"

The crowd was on their feet to see down into the arena at what was unfolding before them.

' _This is impossible! He is going through the movements before he even sees that I am doing them. He isn't copying them! He's performing them!'_ Neji realized as he called out, "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

The moment the technique was over with, Neji stood in shock before getting a vicious punch delivered directly to his jaw.

' _It's not possible. He is not an Uchiha.'_ Neji thought as he was knocked flying through the air backwards.

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Hanabi groaned before cracking her knuckles, "I will deal with this one father." Hanabi said casually as she hopped out of her seat.

Hiashi head snapped from the battle unfolding to his daughter, "Deal with what Hanabi?" Hiashi asked incredulously.

Hiashi's youngest daughter stretched her arms across her chest, "You saw what happened down there. First Neji using main branch techniques, now someone not even a part of the clan using them? Who do you think is responsible for that? It is our duty as members of the main branch to defend our secrets. You always taught me that." Hanabi said as she completed her stretching.

Hiashi's gaze softened, "Indeed I did Hanabi, but this is not your place. That is a duty for the head of the clan."

Hanabi put her hands on her hips, "So? I intend to take your place one day father, and make you proud. These are things that I will have to do. Why can't I start now."

Hiashi sighed as he tried his best to pay attention to his daughter as the exciting fight continued to unfold. "Because Hanabi that day is far away. Then there is still your sister who is your eldest."

"So what? She may be a year older than me but she is not stronger than me." the fourteen year old Hyuuga princess stated bluntly.

"Hanabi, strength is not the only thing that matters."

"Of course not!" Hanabi said shaking her head, "You have taught me that things such as respect and honor also matter. And that matters right now."

"I also taught you to respect your elders."

"Then should I get my sister to do it? Because she has trouble confronting a spider in the corner of her room!" Hanabi declared bitterly.

"Hanabi sit down!" Hiashi declared as people began to stare at their argument.

Hanabi scoffed, "I'm going for a walk. Go ahead and watch this fight that makes our clan look like a joke."

"Hanabi!" Hiashi called after his fiercely independent daughter.

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Neji stood up as Naruto walked forward like a predator stalking it's prey.

Quickly Neji reached into his pouch and launched a shuriken with each step he took.

Naruto mirroring Neji's own skill earlier at dodging bursts of water ducked under and side stepped the oncoming shuriken with ease.

Neji closed in with a desperate palm strike aimed the blonde's chest.

Although the attack never connected as Naruto's hand snapped out with equal speed and caught the Hyuuga by the wrist.

In Naruto's free hand he spun a kunai down to poise it at Neji's neck and earn the win.

Neji grit his teeth as the moment the kunai would have been close enough to count for a victory, a blue glowing layer of chakra appeared just above Neji's skin.

"You think you are the only one willing to do whatever it takes?" Neji yelled to Naruto as he broke his own arm within the blonde's grip before he rapidly began to spin as blue chakra emanated from his body.

"Kaiten!"

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"Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped at the sight.

"Get out of there you idiot!" Kiba yelled as he leapt out of his seat.

"Jeez, that Neji kid. That's not how you go and make Chunin." The bandaged chunin muttered.

"Might be a way to win though." his friend remarked.

The bandaged chunin rolled his eyes as he looked over to the two emotional teens beside him, "No. Not really. Kid won't stand a chance with a broken arm."

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Neji held his broken arm painfully as the dust died down from his kaiten. His attack had made another crater in the ground where he stood. Across from him Naruto stood tall but his clothes were pretty beat up and ragged. Red spots signifying blood were beginning to appear underneath his clothes. It was obvious that the last kaiten had done some damage.

' _I can't believe I am about to lose this battle. How could he have known the eight trigrams technique? No one outside of the main branch family knew that technique until me.'_ Neji cursed, _'If I am going to lose, I will make it so that he can no longer compete either.'_ Neji thought with his jaw tightened in pain.

Naruto began another slow predatory walk towards Neji as the young Hyuuga struggled to get into another fighting stance.

Although that didn't seem to be a pace Neji agreed with.

Neji charged forward with a battle cry as his impressive footwork whirled him into a spinning mass of chakra in an instant as he closed in on Naruto. At this range there was no way the blonde could possibly dodge the technique.

However the moment Neji would have made contact with Naruto, the blonde boy extended his hand as Neji abruptly stopped his spin.

Neji's eyes opened wide in shock, "How!"

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"Kakashi, prepare to go down there with me and end the match if Genma cannot do it on his own." Gai said as he stood up straighter at the sight. His words immediately sent his friends into alarm.

"What do you mean Gai!" Asuma said in surprise, "Look the match is over already. Neji gassed out. He can't keep using that kaiten so freely, not at his age."

"I don't mean to just stop the match, I mean in case we must stop Naruto." Gai said as he grabbed onto a pillar preparing to launch himself into the arena.

"You can't be serious." Kakashi muttered with an incredulous look.

"You weren't there Kakashi. You don't understand." Gai said bluntly as he recalled the brief time he spent with Naruto that month.

" _I am terribly sorry Naruto. I have tried to do all I can to get an audience with the Hokage over this incident, but everywhere I have gone he is said to be busy. I submitted an incident report to the tournament organizers but I have yet to get a response from them on the matter."_

" _And we won't get one Gai. You don't get it. If you don't come from a powerful family or clan. If you don't have parents willing to go through hell to see that you are treated fairly, you get walked on. Like every system, those in power stay in power. Those with less get screwed." Naruto said bitterly._

" _That's not true Naruto. We hold people accountable for their actions here in Konoha. You want to be Hokage. You know this."_

" _Oh trust me I know." Naruto laughed, "I can't get away with a harmless prank without being disciplined. But I also have no one in Konoha looking out for me. I have no parents, no family. The Hokage is too busy to address my issue. My sensei took my teammate on a personalized training trip. The people that should be looking out for me are not. I'm on my own."_

" _But you're not alone Naruto. You have friends that care about you. They do not support what Neji did the other day-"_

" _They don't support it, but they don't stand against it either! How many times must it happen before something is done? Once? Twice? Three times? More? Or will it ever happen?"_

" _Naruto-"_

" _No Gai." Naruto said as he held up his hand, "But thank you for your help. However I no longer need it. I realize now that no punishment will be given for Neji's actions. That a boy who comes from a rich family that holds a lot of power and bureaucratic pull will never have any consequences for his actions. I am not going to sit here and hope that somebody hears my plea for help."_

" _I have heard Naruto. I will help. I will solve this. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but I will solve this. You won't face Neji in this match, I promise you." Gai said as he extended a hand to the youthful blonde._

 _Naruto looked down at the offered hand before hesitantly accepting it. "Gai, Don't make promises you aren't sure you can keep. I want you to know that I am grateful for your help. However if no one is going to hold him responsible with the law, I will outside of it." Naruto said with an iron gaze._

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"You didn't think you were the only one that could manipulate chakra did you? Think Neji, we learned about this earlier in the exams." Naruto whispered.

Neji's eyes widened further as he thought back over the course of their fight. "The Sound ninja. Our bodies are seventy percent water. You control water..." Neji muttered as he began to piece things together. "But how? You need chakra to control it. I saw that!"

"You did see that Neji. I knew you would." Naruto continued to whisper so that the stadium would not hear their conversation, "The byakugan can see everything within it's near 360 degree field of vision, even chakra. Yet no matter how special they are Neji, they are just eyes, and there is one place that you wouldn't think to look." Naruto explained.

Neji thought over the course of their fight only for his eyes to widen further in shock. "It's impossible! The eight trigrams technique."

Naruto smirked, "You said earlier that I told you I wasn't going to get hit. Well that was foolish of me. I realized over this past week that if I was going to intend on seeing justice that I would need to make sacrifices even if that meant my word."

Neji's eyes were stuck in shock as he thought through their entire fight. _'Every time I hit him. Every time I attacked him. Every time I blocked his chakra. It was all leading to this!'_

"My sensei Kakashi always told me I needed to focus on my chakra control. So I took that suggestion and spent the entire month focusing solely on that. These are the results."

"Every attack I landed. As I was pushing chakra into you, you were forcing chakra into me. The one place I never looked, never thought to." Neji realized, "By the time I had finally attacked you with the eight trigrams technique, you already had your chakra within me. I wasn't missing my technique. You didn't know it. You controlled it! You used your chakra to force me to miss my technique so that you could force more chakra into me. You're controlling my blood! You had this fight won from the moment my technique failed!" Neji finished in shock as his body remained rigid and unable to move from Naruto's control, "Why didn't you just win there?"

"Because as you said, I wanted to take great pleasure in your look of despair as you realize that your foolish vows were impossible to keep." Naruto said coldly as he flung both arms outward like a puppeteer controlling invisible strings. There was a sickening crunch as Neji's finger bent backwards on his uninjured arm before a loud crack was heard from a painful break of his forearm.

"Naruto! You've won the match!" Gai called out as he was on the ground in an instant, his hand quickly latching firmly onto Naruto's arm. "You can let him go." Gai finished in a whisper.

Naruto let out a breath as he walked away and Neji crumbled to the ground in an injured heap moaning in pain.

Genma's uninterested gaze was now firm as he shuffled the senbon to the other side of his mouth. "That was rather cold. Was it really necessary?"

"No colder than he is to his own family."

"Hmm." Genma sounded off before he gestured to Naruto, "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto smiled weakly at the stadium stands that broke out in cheers. The roar of the crowd was almost deafening. He could also see the few faces in the crowd that were shocked still. Gamblers that had likely lost a great deal of money on a bet they made.

"Naruto, I have a lesson of my own I would like to give." a voice called out from behind Naruto.

The blonde spun around to the recognizable voice with a cold look. "No Kakashi." Naruto said bluntly as he made his way to the stairs leading back up to the stands.

Kakashi frowned as he looked over to his friendly rival assisting a student of his onto a stretcher for a second time.

"I hope you talk to him Kakashi. The way he treated that kid after he already won..." Genma trailed off.

Kakashi nodded.

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"Naruto!" Ino yelled as she immediately got in the blonde's way as he arrived back up in the stands. Trailing quickly behind her were Chouji, and Sakura. "Seriously! This is two outfits!" she said angrily as she proceeded to roughly dust the blonde off before she looked at her ripped masterpiece.

Naruto flushed as several of the adults and families that had come to watch the matches looked upon the two in amusement. "Yeah. Sorry Ino." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah well you better be." Ino grumbled. "But hey, good job. He deserved that ass kicking." Ino said with a grin as she kept pace with Naruto as they met up with the group in front of the senseis of team eight and ten.

Both Chouji and Sakura gave their congratulations as Naruto joined the small group of students and senseis.

"Indeed congratulations are in order Naruto. I am sure that Hinata will be happy with your victory. Good job on keeping your word out there." Kurenai, the sensei of team eight provided with a smile.

"I kept most of it." Naruto quipped.

"That was a pretty impressive thing you did out there with the water." Asuma said around his cigarette, "How did you learn to do that? That is the type of thing people even our age only hear stories of."

Naruto grinned a bit at the praise. "Well it takes a lot of chakra control."

"Naruto, I thought you didn't like working on chakra control?" Sakura asked curiously.

"I don't. But I originally didn't have anyone training me this month, so I worked on what I knew. About halfway through the month I learned how to do that."

Sakura winced, "Sorry, I forgot."

Naruto shrugged, "Can't change it now. There's no point in talking about it."

"How about we talk about how I'll never help you buy new clothes again if all you do is go out and wreck them. You know my outfit? Guess how long I have had that! A full year. You destroy two of them within weeks." Ino shook her head, "Never again."

Naruto grinned, "I'll be sure to ask someone else if I have an all expenses paid shopping trip next time."

Ino's eyes widened briefly, "On second thought. You can ask me. But you already owe me one alright? Like a gift or something."

"That doesn't sound that fair Ino." Chouji said between handfuls of chips.

"Oh shut up Chouji!"

"He's right Ino. It's not right to tell Naruto that he owes you one when you decided to help him buy his clothes because he was a friend." Asuma said with a smile.

"Oh whatever Asuma-sensei! You're just saying that because you don't know how to buy a gift for your girlfriend!" Ino fired back waving her hand dismissively.

Asuma practically choked on his cigarette as Kurenai started laughing lightly under her breath. The entire group had rather amused grins.

"Alright Ino, what would you like for the help."

"Flowers!" Ino said instantly, "Oh and chocolate!" she tacked on.

"Flowers and chocolate? That sounds like relationship gifts Ino. Good idea." her sensei teased.

Ino flushed, "Get some for Sakura too. She helped. You know, fair is fair..." She trailed off, suddenly finding the introductions to the second match really interesting.

Kurenai however seemed to join in on the girl's embarrassment, "Doesn't your family own a flower shop in the village Ino? Seems like someone is making excuses to try and get someone's attention."

"Ugghhhh shut up!" Ino groaned over the side of the rails.

Asuma snorted, "Someone didn't think that one through." Asuma said as he gave a wave to the approaching jounin, "Welcome back Kakashi. Nice job with your student. I think I may need to be paying up after all."

Kakashi nodded weakly at the welcoming as his gaze fell on Naruto before looking through the rest of the group that had gathered.

Chouji stopped his munching, "You guys bet on us?"

"Yeah." Asuma said upon exhale, "We had a small pot going on who had the students that were going to go farthest in the exam."

Chouji shook his head, "Oh that was a bad bet Asuma-sensei. Shikamaru is going to give up. This tournament is too much trouble for him." Chouji said as he resumed inhaling his bag of chips.

"Really?" Kurenai asked as she shifted her gaze on the chain smoker.

Asuma grinned around his cigarette, "The kid is smart, but he's rather lazy."

A brief silence fell over the group as they watched the Kankuro forfeit his match to his sister Temari.

"Naruto, can we talk?" Kakashi asked over the 'Boos' of the stadium as the group continued to watch the arena matches.

Naruto scoffed, "I'd really rather not."

"Why?"

The crowd deafened the group standing at the railings as Shino Aburame forfeited his match against Gaara of the Desert.

Kurenai frowned, "He did the right thing. There is always next year, without an opponent such as him. The shuffling of the tournament roster really hurt him." she muttered to Asuma.

Naruto turned back to Kakashi, "Why? Because apparently I only have one match ahead of me - If that! I actually want to get the chance to eat before I have three more matches to deal with in a row."

Kakashi frowned as he crossed his arms at the display, "Then let me get you something to eat. Perhaps I can help you with strategy over food."

"Actually Kakashi-san, I believe I have that covered." a woman said politely from behind the group descending from the steps.

"Mei!"

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So now we are looking at a pretty much fresh story from here on out. All of the chapters from here on(including this one) are written completely from scratch.

And to answer a question that is likely to come up. Yes, Hanabi is only 1 year younger than Hinata. Yes the rookies are 15, with Hanabi being 14.


	5. Letting Go of What You Fear To Lose

I am glad that everyone enjoyed the last chapter so much. I can honestly say that I believe each chapter from then on out only gets better as they continue on. So for those of you that were able to stick around for the first 3 chapters that go through the same beats of the original, you should be in for a bit of a treat.

Now again. The fights I write tell a story, otherwise there is no point to them. So enjoy the read.

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"Mei? I remember seeing you with Naruto this past month." Kurenai voiced politely as she greeted the newcomer.

"Yes I remember you both." Mei said with a smile, "You are the senseis of the students we saw at the barbecue restaurant correct? It seems that Naruto was able to give the boy what he deserved."

"That is still up for discussion." Kakashi said with his arms crossed firmly. "How do you know who I am?"

Mei tilted her head, "Know you? Besides the fact that you are the notorious Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, I spent this past month training Naruto. He told me about how you decided to spend the month training your other student." Mei revealed.

"Really. Is that what he told you?" Kakashi said as he leveled his stare on Naruto.

"The truth?" Naruto fired back heatedly.

"Naruto. I left Ebisu to train you this month." Kakashi began as he gestured to Kurenai and Asuma, "We never anticipated the success of our genin teams in their first exam. Most genin that enter the exams for the first time never make it past the written stage, let alone the second stage of the exams. There was even a preliminary round added to weed out the genin further this year." Kakashi explained.

"Is there a point to all of this? I told you I didn't want to talk, and I wanted to go eat." Naruto said in anger.

"Naruto I had to make a choice. I couldn't train you both."

"Really? Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"The things I taught Sasuke this month, I couldn't teach you Naruto. You don't have the affinity for it."

"So instead you simply chose Sasuke over me. That's fair right?" Naruto asked in anger. "I mean why not train us in something you could train both of us in? It's not like we were even in the same bracket!" Naruto continued before he held up his hand, "Oh and before you might start. If you can only train us one at a time, you shouldn't be a teacher."

Those gathered around were watching the scene unfold as wide eyed onlookers. Asuma had even lightly whistled to himself as he turned his attention back to his student going down to the arena floor for his match.

Kakashi sighed heavily as he dropped his head, "Look Naruto I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I made a judgment call an-"

"You made a mistake! But if you want to go ahead and make judgment calls that involve you turning your back on me, you don't get to stand here and criticize the ones I make!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelped in surprise as the argument continue to grow. Naruto was nearly red in anger as it just kept spilling out.

"Well this fight looks like it is going to take a while." Kurenai attempted to change the subject as her eyes darted between the gathered party.

"Well thank Kami for that." Naruto grumbled as he snatched the food Mei had brought over for him before storming off. Although before he even got five steps away he spun on his heel, "Oh and you know what? You told me from day one that those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than that. Well guess what? Neji broke the rules. Guess what you did?" Naruto finished as he stormed off in anger.

Kakashi sighed and shook his head with a look of remorse, "Awfully convenient for you to stumble upon Naruto like that." the man whispered as Naruto continued on his way.

Mei gave a smile, "Well unlike what you may believe, I didn't find Naruto or seek him out. He found me, and asked me for help because he claimed he had no one else to turn to."

Kakashi adopted a guilty look as Mei casually walked away following after Naruto.

"I hope you know you deserved that Kakashi." Kurenai spoke up briefly tearing her attention from the match below. "Imagine if Minato had chosen to train Obito over you, and how you would have felt."

Kakashi winced at the thought, "I thought Ebisu would have trained him..." Kakashi muttered as he watched Mei and Naruto retreat into the stands.

"Kakashi." Asuma addressed through the cigarette between his lips, "You do realize that Naruto knocked Ebisu unconscious with a naked henge right? There was a whole incident with my nephew Konohamaru. You can't expect the boy to train with a man he can't respect."

"I thought Naruto was just saying that to try and get me to train him. That actually happened?" The copy ninja asked both in surprise and disappointment.

"Kakashi-sensei, what else did you say to Naruto before you left to go train Sasuke? He has been like this the whole month, even when me and Ino helped him buy his new clothes." Sakura asked meekly, knowing she was butting into a conversation between her superiors.

' _Well Naruto, of the three students that I teach in the Team Seven, you're the one with the worst basic skills. Have him teach it to you thoroughly this time.'_

Kakashi winced as the memory replayed over in his head. "I told him he needed to work on his chakra control. Don't worry Sakura, I made a mistake, but I will fix this. I promise." Kakashi said as he gave his best smile gently squeezing the young genin's shoulder.

Sakura nodded meekly, "I hope so sensei. I don't know what got into him, but he wasn't being himself this past month."

Kakashi nodded filing away the information. Although he had gathered a bit of that himself.

Chouji who had been sitting off to the side munching on his bags of chips finally spoke up for the first time, "Well what if Naruto is just acting how he normally would? Like what if he is just more confident in his abilities now after training?" Chouji asked.

The group fell silent at that thought resigning to watch the match play out between Shikamaru and Dosu.

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"You know that you could try and resolve your problems with your sensei with a bit more tact." Mei said as she slid into a seat next to the blonde teen.

"If you followed me to take his side, I am really not in the mood." Naruto grumbled as he continued to go through the food Mei had given him. Occasionally people would walk by and give the blonde nods of respect for his previous match bringing the briefest of smiles to Naruto's face.

"It has nothing to do sides Naruto. If there was one, I would be on yours. You could finish this tournament in first place, and then what? What if you end up not getting promoted, and end up returning to your team."

"Then I will get a transfer. If I win the tournament, any team should want me."

"Running isn't the answer to your problems." Mei gently reprimanded.

"It seemed like it was Kakashi's answer for this month. Run off. Screw what happens to me. Not even the slightest bit of regret." Naruto said sourly before he set aside his empty bowl.

"That isn't true Naruto. Sometimes in life people make a choice between what they feel is right, and what is easy."

"For someone who isn't taking sides, you seem to have a rather keen opinion about it."

"For someone who had a complete stranger take them in, train them, buy them clothes at their expense, and support you for an entire month... you seem to be really hung up on Kakashi's absence." Mei fired back all the while smiling.

Naruto seemed to shrink at that note, "Sorry." He mumbled, "I just can't believe he would try and complain to me about what I do in my battles. He didn't help me at all!"

"Well he did tell you to work on chakra control." Mei said with an amused smirk.

"Not funny." Naruto drawled as he watched the fight pan out. Shikamaru was doing his best to stay at range in the shadows of the wall. The sound engine on Dosu's arm being the major threat. Although he doubted anyone knew just how far that sound engine could actually reach.

"Perhaps a little." Mei offered, "So how did you do that out there? I've never seen anything like that."

"Really?"

"Like I have said in our training Naruto, what you are able to do is very rare. Few people in history has shown to have the chakra necessary to apply this technique that you do. It was largely unexplored territory for us as we trained Naruto. I was really just going to teach you water techniques until I saw you were making actual progress."

Naruto adopted a thoughtful look at that. "Oh, well it's not really that interesting. Ever since I started practicing this technique I have felt my chakra sticking to other people. It didn't really even dawn on me why until we started going over the other opponents in the tournament. That Dosu guy said that our bodies are made up of around 70% water, and it kinda just clicked. Although I didn't realize I could do that until just the other day."

"Wait, you were controlling the water in his body?" Mei asked in surprise.

"Yeah, something like that." Naruto returned with a grin rubbing the back of his head.

Mei smiled at that and wrapped an arm around Naruto's shoulder, "Well I'm impressed Naruto. I don't think I'll ever be able to do that. I'm proud of you."

Naruto flushed lightly at the embrace, "Thanks." Naruto said quietly, his teenage body certainly taking notice of the beautiful woman beside him.

"So have you thought about how you are going to go into your match with Sasuke?" Mei asked as she released the blonde teen.

"Thought about it? Sure. Have a plan? Not really. Both Sasuke and Kakashi have the sharingan. He could have taught Sasuke anything over this past month. Or _everything_." Naruto added on the end dryly.

"You would probably be lucky if your sensei did do that. Your teammate would then be in a state where he would be using a multitude of techniques he hasn't utilized in real combat. It is more likely that your sensei had Sasuke focus on a couple subjects, like we did."

"Well in that case, I have no idea what those subjects could be."

"Neither do I." Mei admitted with a smile, "So let's instead try something else. The story you told me about your journey to Wave country, I remembered it and decided to make this for you from what you described." Mei said as she withdrew from her clothes an object carefully wrapped in cloth.

"What is it?"

"A gift, but also a weapon." Mei provided as she handed over the wrapped object.

Naruto unwrapped the cloth with care and flipped over the object in his hands with surprise. "How did you get this!" the blonde teen asked in shock.

"Get it? I made it for you Naruto. You described the mask in your story and you said the person had a rather profound affect on you. I felt that you should have something to remember them by."

Naruto held the mask delicately between his hands. It was taking a lot of his willpower to not choke up at that moment. His mind was reeling. He could count the few gifts he had ever been given in his life on one hand, but none of them had ever been so personal to him.

' _When people are protecting something truly precious to them. They truly can become... as strong as they need to be.'_

' _That is when I realized that in all of the world no one needed me. I was alone. Can you understand? Not having a dream... not being needed by anyone... the pain of merely being alive.'_

"It is only through the eyes of others that our lives have any meaning." Naruto said quietly as he remembered the girls words. His eyes watered as he fought back a potential tear not wanting the woman to see him cry. "Thank you Mei."

The woman pulled Naruto into another warm hug as she kissed the teen on the forehead, "Anytime." She whispered deepening the hug, "Just remind him why he was afraid the first time. The mask will make it difficult for him to meet your eyes." she finished as she let the young teen go.

It was at that point the stadium broke out in a roar as the match between Shikamaru and Dosu came to the end.

"Are you two done yet?" the voice of a young female fired at the duo.

The brief hug was quickly broken as Naruto stood up to take in the sight of a familiar face. The girl was a few inches shorter than Naruto and had straight dark hair that went just past her shoulders. She had a tan jacket with three straps in the front parted exposing a fine fishnet undershirt. The jacket was hooded with a white fur lining. The outfit was paired off with shorts that had seen better days. Her clothing made it obvious that the girl was a shinobi even if she had none of her equipment strapped on. "You're the one Neji was looking after right? Hinata's little sister?"

"Hanabi." She said crossing her arms, "And you're the boy that stole main branch Hyuuga techniques to beat my cousin." She said bluntly.

Naruto scoffed, "I didn't steal anything. And I've dealt with enough Hyuuga's today if this is how you all act. Thanks."

"Sure you didn't! Everyone knows you stole the Forbidden Scroll to graduate. Who is to say you wouldn't steal something else to pass this exam?"

"Because I busted my ass this entire month to get to where I am."

"Uh huh." Hanabi voiced.

Naruto sighed heavily, "Look I don't have time for this. However because you're Hinata's sister, here's the truth. I don't even know your family techniques. I just saw what Neji was doing and copied him in the fight to trip him up. Apparently I'm faster than him so it worked. Now if you don't believe me and want to go and drag your family into it like your cousin, I don't care. I have other things on my plate."

Hanabi laughed, "You're faster than him? Yeah. Right. Well you're lucky you weren't fighting me down there Naruto. I wouldn't have gone easy on you and let that happen."

Naruto chuckled as he silently gave his thanks to Mei before walking to his match, "Whatever you say Firework." the blonde said with a wave.

Hanabi bristled at the comment as she turned to Mei who was looking her over from head to toe. "What are you looking at?"

Mei stood up now practically towering over the girl. "A young girl that is not as smart as she thinks she is."

Hanabi glared defiantly up at Mei as the woman continued to look the girl over.

"At least I'm still smarter than you." the girl fired her comeback without hesitation.

"Are you? You may be skilled, but your cousin is by all accounts a genius when it comes to your clans martial arts. He was able to achieve that level without any assistance from members of your clan. Now you decided to come here and try to threaten the one person that beat him in this tournament?" Mei asked with a raised eyebrow, "Well good luck. But you're still too young and inexperienced to hope to match."

Hanabi's expression soured as she watched Mei make her leave, "Well I'll prove you wrong!" the fiery Hyuuga yelled after the retreating woman.

"You do that Hanabi Hyuuga."

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"I was afraid you weren't going to make it Dobe." Sasuke grinned as Naruto approached from the end of the hallway. The speakers were loud as they introduced both parties for the upcoming fight.

"Who me? I'm just happy you made it on time. Wouldn't want anyone to miss seeing you get your ass kicked."

"Hn." Sasuke grinned, "Lets hope you're just as confident when I show you what I've been working on this past month."

"Oh you know how it is Sasuke, I told everyone I was going to win, so they gave me an extra match to try and hold me back. Although I don't think what you worked on is going to help you much."

Sasuke gave one of his rare chuckles, "You've already gone through one match Dobe. I can already smell victory from here. Although there is always another tournament in six months."

"Uchiha Sasuke!" The stadium cheered as Sasuke's name was called.

"I'll let you know what victory tastes like when I get it. And Sasuke, I hope you have your application filled out, I'm going to try and make this quick." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke smirked as he jumped into the arena only for the cheer of his fans to nearly drown out the speakers. His new look definitely attracting the crowd.

Naruto cracked his neck from side to side before moving to crack his knuckles.

"Naruto." a quiet voice addressed from behind.

Naruto spun around at the greeting, "Oh, hey what's up Shikamaru?"

"I wanted to get the chance to talk to you before your match." Shikamaru said seriously, his eyes showing a rare steel.

Shikamaru's serious attitude made Naruto suddenly stand up straight, "Guess this wasn't to wish me luck?" Naruto asked amused.

"Not with this match, but it will if you make it to the next one." Shikamaru said seriously, "I think I know a way you can beat Dosu. All I ask is that you beat him for what he did to Chouji, since I couldn't."

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before he collected himself, "What do you need me to do?"

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"I thought you said that you were worried I was going to be late Naruto? You can't even make it fifty yards in five minutes." Sasuke teased with a smug grin.

"Oh yeah well you know..." Naruto drawled on, "I got caught up having to take care of all of this paperwork. Apparently all of your fangirls are trying to sign over to Team Uzumaki preemptively."

Sasuke snorted, "Well I hope you're giving them fair shares."

Naruto laughed, "I decided it would be on an as needed basis."

Genma smiled at the exchange on the field, "Well at least you two get along better."

Naruto chuckled, "Wait until you see the match." The two of them had been waiting for this moment for quite some time. Not a sparring match. Not a team exercise. A real match where the two would be against each other. They were expecting the match to be in the finals. It had just come earlier than they expected.

"Well then, any last words before I start the match?" Genma asked.

"How about a bet Naruto?"

"A bet? On the match? For what?"

"You tell me what you used to beat Neji if I win." Sasuke said with a grin.

"Oh, someone's curious. And if I win?"

"What do you want?"

Naruto frowned at the thought. He didn't know what he wanted. "I'll let you know when I win."

Sasuke smirked, "I hope you remember that you said that as you explain to me your fight with Neji. Although if a miracle happens and you do win, you better not ask for anything stupid."

"I'll probably just have you use your Uchiha family fortune to take every girl that has a crush on you to the new Princess Gale movie a few times in a row." Naruto said with a cheeky grin.

"That's not funny." Sasuke replied with a deadpan expression.

"Not yet."

Sasuke sighed as he gave a nod to Genma, one which Naruto quickly followed suit.

"Alright Begin!"

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"Alright please tell me I'm not the only one surprised by that." Ino said quickly as she looked toward her peers, "I mean Naruto is good. Way better than I expected. But Sasuke even said that Naruto may win?"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Naruto has gotten a lot better this month, but Naruto has never beaten Sasuke, and Sasuke has probably gotten a lot better himself. He is probably just being nice. Naruto has already had to go through a match after all."

"You two girls should pay more attention to the fight. The sharingan is a rare feat to see in action these days. And the techniques Naruto showed in his last match haven't been seen in more than half a century." Kurenai announced as she watched the match below with the focus of a hawk. The two hadn't even moved a muscle since it started.

"Oh whatever! They haven't even done anything yet." Ino complained.

"Actually Ino, the match started the moment Genma called it." Kakashi said as he gazed upon his students.

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Naruto tightened his jaw as he looked across at Sasuke. He didn't want to charge headlong into his teammate, but the longer they stood there, the more things didn't sit right with the blonde. ' _What are you waiting for Sasuke?'_

Before the thought had time to process Naruto was sent sailing through the air with a significant pain in his jaw. _'How!_ ' Naruto thought in surprise as he immediately sprang back to his feet when he hit the ground.

Sasuke stood across from him with a smirk on his face.

Naruto gently wiped his bleeding lip before giving a heavy breath, "Genjutsu..." Naruto realized as his blue eyes locked with Sasuke's red ones. "The one on the door."

Sasuke's smirk increased as he entered a fighting stance, "I was wondering if you would figure it out. The False Surroundings Technique. You couldn't see it then, and you still can't see it now."

Naruto fumed at that, "I didn't think you were the type to sit back and resort to illusions."

"Who said anything about sitting back Naruto? That was all me." Sasuke said flexing his fingers.

Naruto shook his head as he quickly halted the flow of his chakra before restarting it once again in a burst of chakra. The act forced away blades of grass and dust. "That won't happen again Sasuke."

"I'd hope not. I wanted to beat you with what I learned this month. Not something I learned before we even entered the exam." Sasuke replied with a smirk.

"Show me." Naruto replied grinning as he settled into a fighting stance of his own.

Sasuke charged.

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"Woah! He's so fast!" Sakura said as she clutched the rails watching the new turn in the fight. Sasuke had taken the lead from the beginning, but now he was a blur of speed. Naruto appeared to barely be holding his own deflecting and dodging the attacks.

"I had Sasuke working on his speed for the majority of our month together. He is probably close to the same speed as Gai's student Lee with his weights removed." Kakashi revealed, "Naruto will likely have a hard time keeping up with an opponent such as that after awhile."

"But Kakashi, Sasuke wasn't always slated to fight Naruto. He was going to fight the boy from Suna. Why did you work on his speed?" Asuma asked with his cigarette hanging loosely in his mouth.

"For the other part of the training I taught him which was specifically for his fight with Gaara." Kakashi said as he carried on watching the fight.

"That must have been an interesting form of training you forced Sasuke to go through then. Although I believe Naruto may surprise you. He is quicker than you think." the voice of Mei called out on her approach.

"Welcome back Mei-san." Kurenai greeted politely, "Come to watch the match?"

Mei smiled in response, "I have. I gave Naruto some advice for this match, so I am hoping that it works out for him in his favor. He is likely already winded after the last match he had not too long ago against Neji."

"Sasuke's training was intended to give him the speed to get around Gaara's sand in the same fashion as Lee while using ninjutsu to take advantage of the opening his speed created." Kakashi reported, "What was your intention for Naruto?" the jounin pried.

Mei politely smiled, "I had a similar goal although quite different. I knew that attempting to get Naruto up to the speed of Lee he described in the preliminaries would be quite difficult. Instead we chose to work on his reaction speed. Your student Sasuke may be faster than Naruto on foot, however locked in combat I believe Naruto's speed will surprise you."

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The two genin had been trading attacks back and forth in rapid succession. This skirmish was by far the most exciting of the tournament thus far. It was one long ongoing fight. A war of attrition and endurance.

Sasuke's red eyes followed Naruto's every movement. The intercepting fist was prepared for every strike Naruto could throw. Although some strikes Naruto could throw were not tangible.

The two had maintained a close distance between one another where kicks had been nearly rendered impossible.

Naruto threw out a left-right combination into an uppercut.

Sasuke dodged in quick succession.

It was Hinata's match versus Neji all over again.

Naruto followed with an uppercut that narrowly missed Sasuke who spun around on his heel with a spinning backhand.

Naruto flipped backwards in place the backhand sailing past the tip of his nose. Following the tips of his feet was a torrent of water that materialized out of the air.

Sasuke jumped backwards his hand to his mouth in a familiar seal. The name of the ability was drowned out by the sound of the raging flaming ball that spewed forth from his lips.

Naruto dove away to the path of least resistance, his body rolling across the dirt floor. Although just like Sasuke's notorious eyes, his methods for prediction were far more advanced than other shinobi his age.

A rain of kunai and shurikan fanned out just where Naruto had landed.

Naruto quickly fell on his back, a clone immediately popping into existence on top of the blonde. "What are you-" The clone muttered before stopping as a volley of assorted metal weapons pierced it's back.

Not even a moment after the weapons struck, the clone popped out of existence with the metal weapons clattering on the blonde's chest.

Although Sasuke left no room for recovery of momentum in their battle. His superior speed on his feet carried him to Naruto nearly in an instant.

A vicious kick to the chest sent Naruto sailing into the air. The Uchiha genius showing his worth as the rest of his plan came to the forefront. Immediately the numerous weapons that had been tossed at the blonde rattled behind the Uchiha.

Sasuke waved his hands outward clapping them together. The wires jingled against the metal weaponry as they sailed into the air after the blonde.

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"Sasuke isn't messing around... he might really hurt Naruto." Sakura muttered as she watched the one sided fight carry on.

"Don't worry Sakura. Genma is a trusted jounin. He will stop the fight if he believes it is going to go too far. We have experienced medical ninja standing by. Naruto will be fine." Kakashi comforted his student.

"Mei, I thought you said that you gave Naruto advice to use against Sasuke. What was it?" Kurenai asked skeptically.

Asuma snorted out smoke, "Whatever it was doesn't appear to be helping much."

Mei however was unfazed by the comment, "I have always felt that in my youth the hardest part about being a shinobi was dealing with being afraid. I felt that fear of loss, of death was just the path to failure. As a child I realized I needed to train myself to let go of everything I feared to lose. I told Naruto if he could make Sasuke feel that same fear he once felt, then perhaps he would barely need to fight at all."

Ino snorted, "As if anything could scare Sasuke-kun."

Chouji stopped munching to briefly say, "Your dad says that everyone is afraid of something Ino. He would know."

"What did you suggest that he do?" Kakashi asked suspiciously.

"To pick a moment where Sasuke was afraid, and to harness that moment."

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Sasuke's wires quickly wrapped around Naruto's form as he sailed through the air tying him together as Sasuke's hands formed into another familiar seal.

The wires were set ablaze as fire raced their length.

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"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura pleaded desperately at the sight as the jounin continued to observe.

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In an instant a surge of water burst forth surrounding the blonde as fire met water and a thick blanket of steam flooded the arena floor.

The excitement of the crowd and the cheering had all but gone silent as they tried to peer into the misty aftermath of the exciting play of events they just witnessed.

Although up in the stands, a voice from the mist bled into the ears of the members of Team Seven causing a chill to run up their spine.

"8 Points. Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now which will be the place I sever first?"

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"Kakashi-sensei... tha-that's Zabuza's voice." Sakura said with her voice trembling.

Kakashi's gaze had hardened as he recognized the voice of the man that could have taken his life if not for his own hubris. "I know Sakura." Kakashi said coolly as he turned to Mei. "This was your suggestion?"

Mei was equally wide eyed as she heard the voice, "No. Not this. I didn't know about this." She said her own voice trembling. Although it didn't hold the same fear that Sakura's held. It held something else entirely.

"While a clever ploy, using past tormentors is a cruel way to defeat another shinobi of Konoha in battle, and Sasuke has more dangerous ones than most." Kurenai addressed, the mistress of illusions not keen on the foul play being displayed.

Mei shook her head, "I never suggested an illusion. I anticipated he would do something else."

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Sasuke froze at the sound of the voice that once had him paralyzed in fear.

A torrent of water shot up into the sky and quickly began to barrage down in bullets that were leaving holes in the dirt trailing towards Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! Snap out of it!" Sakura's voice yelled louder than anyone else's from the stadium stands.

Sasuke shook his head and brought himself back to reality at the last second as he narrowly dodged the rain of water bullets that drilled holes into dirt where he had just been standing.

"You move well... But this time I'll stop you." another voice said from behind Sasuke that made the young genin tense up again in fear.

Sasuke immediately dove away again in desperation as be backed himself into the wall. "Enough of these tricks Naruto! That fight is over! You died!" Sasuke yelled before he focused his gaze on the blonde.

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"Oh man. Sasuke is starting to lose it. Naruto is getting into his head." Chouji mumbled around a mouth full of food.

"Oh shut up Chouji, no one asked you!" Ino said sourly as she watched her crush slowly break down on the field.

Sakura trembled silently as she looked upon the mask that had nearly ended the lives of her two teammates.

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Across from him stood a hooded figure in an all too familiar mask that had once been worn by a shinobi that had nearly killed him in the past. The Mist shinobi emblem carved into the mask just as it had been the first time. "But did I truly die that day? Did you bare witness to it? Or was my death merely superficial? A comforting lie told to protect you? That day you said you would not die until you killed your brother. What if I showed you that you were wrong?" the soft voice of the hunter ninja spoke from behind the mask.

Sasuke's eyes grew wide as his chakra surged, anger evident on his face as he stared at the masked ninja. "If you intend to kill me, I will take you with me!" Sasuke roared charging forward.

He was no longer the controlled shinobi that maintained a level head intercepting attack after attack from the blonde. He was now on the offensive set to give as much damage as he received.

As a punch connected with Sasuke, and blow was delivered in turn to the masked shinobi.

Amidst the battle and exchange of blows Sasuke continued to roar at each attack. "When I was a boy-" Sasuke said exchanging blows, "My brother took my family from me!" Sasuke yelled as another blow connected, only for several to be returned to him.

Sasuke jumped backwards at lightning arced and gathered from the ground across his soaked form gathering into a ball of light in his hand. "Then he took my childhood." Sasuke said coldly.

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"Sasuke! No!" Kakashi yelled as he already placed one foot on the railing.

"You taught him that!" Asuma yelled another cigarette wasted as it spilled from his mouth falling to the arena floor.

"Are you insane?" Kurenai criticized, "He is a boy. An unstable one."

"I taught him that because Sasuke is like me." Kakashi replied angrily as he saw his technique used against the very people he made it to protect.

"Like you are the poster child for stability Kakashi?" Kurenai fired back without hesitation.

Kakashi ignored her, "I'm going in!" He said as he prepared to launch himself into the arena just as Mei latched onto his arm.

"If you do this, you forfeit on Sasuke's behalf." Mei said coolly.

"Sasuke isn't thinking straight right now. Look at him!" Kakashi demanded. Down on the arena floor black markings had begun to crawl up his neck. "And all of this was done by your plan!"

"Naruto trained hard from this month, and I won't see this opportunity stripped from him because his own sensei refuses to have faith in him." Mei fired back.

"You are _not_ his sensei!" Kakashi yelled back as he jumped down to the arena floor, with Mei following after him.

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Sasuke had rushed forward charging the masked shinobi of his nightmares with lightning crackling in his hand. "Chidori!" he yelled.

"Genma!" Kakashi yelled as he reached the floor. He would have been on time if it weren't for his unpredictable student who charged Sasuke at equal speed. Genma would never have the time to stop the match.

Sasuke surged forward with his arm aiming for Naruto's torso as the entire crowds breath hitched and held to the sound of chirping birds.

An explosion immediately rocked the arena floor as the events seemed to play out for everyone watching.

Genma was rushing to stop the clashing genin in the center of the arena.

Kakashi had been forcibly restrained by the blue clothed Mei Terumi at the edge of the arena floor.

Sasuke stood in the middle of the arena with his hand crackling in energy firmly buried.

Naruto stood across from the red eyed shinobi, one hand pointed to the ground, the other wrapped firmly around Sasuke's neck.

The Chidori was firmly planted into the earth just as it had been initially planned for as the electricity continued to burn through the belts and bandages on his arm.

When Genma arrived next to the duo, his chest was heaving from the adrenaline of seeing one of Konoha's deadliest assassination jutsus used on another shinobi of Konoha, and failing.

Sasuke's sharingan faded into the black onyx orbs characteristic of his clan as a look of defeat flashed over his face. The black tattoos that had threatened to creep up his entire face faded away.

Naruto dropped Sasuke to the ground as he still kept one hand firmly pointed to the ground where Sasuke's burned arm remained stuck in the soil. Quickly the blonde removed his mask and crouched down beside Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke I'm sorry." Naruto muttered an apology.

Sasuke head fell forward as he numbly nodded his in reply, unwilling to look Naruto in the eye. Black markings that threatened to creep up his neck retreated back down his shoulder. "You were right Naruto, back when we were kids." Sasuke muttered.

"Right about what Sasuke?"

"You would grow stronger than me. But you always have been Naruto. You don't feel fear. Not when we were kids. And not since our first mission."

"Sasuke, everyone is afraid of something. What matters is how we chose to face our fears." Naruto replied quietly as he gently pat his teammate on the shoulder.

Genma looked between the two genin before looking to Sasuke's hand firmly stuck in the soil. Genma's gaze found Naruto's once again curiously, "What you can do. I have never seen or heard anything like it, ever. You could make a difference in this village"

Naruto gave a weak smile as his heart swelled at the acknowledgment. Naruto relinquished his hold over Sasuke and returned his arm to his side as he took a step away from his opponent.

"Winner! Uzumaki Naruto!" Genma proclaimed loudly. The entire stadium roared both in shock and amazement at the incredible and flashy performance that had just been displayed by the two shinobi.

Off to the side of Genma and the genin stood a stunned Kakashi with his arm no longer firmly restrained by Mei. "You may not approve of what I did just now, but if you give all of your students a fair chance, they all have the opportunity to surprise you as Naruto did just now." Mei said calmly.

Not seconds later, a shower of shinobi rained down in a circle around her.

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Anyways I hope you enjoy the story. I felt this was a much better representation between the line that is bashing, and then characters having justified opinions. Sasuke can be an asshole, but both he and Naruto are friends and rivals. Kakashi is a genius by many accounts and thinks he may know what's best, but he doesn't always know best.

You get the first real, if short introduction to the full main cast of characters that become important to the story by this point. So that is fun. Anyways I hope you enjoy the story. Love reading the reviews. Still doing my best to respond to every question unless it is directly addressed in one of the remaining 5 chapters of this arc.

Finally, I will admit that I haven't been working much on writing the 2nd arc to this story. I know where I want to go, but my focus has been on Into the Darkness. I personally just feel that right now, it's a funner story to write, and I know more of the long term journey. Where as with this story, it is written for every 10 chapters to feel like a season of television without necessarily a long term end goal as of yet. Every 10 chapters should just feel like a story within a story. By the end of it, I think you will agree.


	6. Sound Waves

Another Tuesday, Another Chapter.

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Naruto spun on his heel as he felt the rain of shinobi fall into the arena surrounding both Kakashi and Mei. Quickly the blonde rushed to both of his senseis, "Hey! What's going on?" Naruto yelled on approach.

"Naruto stay back!" Kakashi commanded with a raised hand trying to halt the blonde.

"No! What are you doing to Mei?" Naruto asked, now practically stomping forward during his approach. He held his left arm with his right carefully as he glared at the silver haired jounin.

Mei looked between both Kakashi and Naruto as if the other dozen shinobi that surrounded her didn't matter, "It's alright Naruto. These shinobi are just doing their job."

"What the hell? This isn't their job!" Naruto yelled before he snapped his gaze on a particular masked shinobi, "Hey don't touch her!"

"Naruto. While Mei may have been the one to teach you this month, she openly apprehended a Konoha shinobi on Konoha soil which is against several laws." Kakashi explained with a portion of regret in his voice.

"So what? You were jumping in here to stop the fight! I had it! Look!" Naruto continued gesturing to the collapsed form of Sasuke who was being looked over by a medical ninja.

"Naruto it looked very different from where we were standing, and it could have gone a lot worse than it did." Kakashi stated as he gestured to the blonde's arm.

"It also appears that you did not walk away from Hatake Kakashi's signature technique unharmed Naruto." Mei suggested as her eyes fell on Naruto's arm. Although Naruto only heard a few of her words.

"Kakashi's signature technique?" Naruto said in bewilderment, "Wait! You took Sasuke for a month to train, and you taught him your signature technique? What the hell sensei!"

"Perhaps I can explain all of this then Naruto." a wise old voice proclaimed from behind the irate blonde.

Naruto quickly stepped aside knowing who was behind him, "Old man! What gives!" Naruto was quick to disrespect the man he saw as a grandfather.

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled to himself as he gently patted Naruto on the shoulder. Beside him was the Kazekage dressed in his traditional robes adding a great deal of power and tension to the arena floor. "Well Naruto, you see Mei Terumi here is not who she says she is." Hiruzen explained as his soft grandfatherly eyes fell on Mei. However it was that soft grandfatherly look that was used to hide the legendary Professor's notorious prowess in battle.

Naruto's gaze snapped to Mei who looked unfazed by the statement. "What are you talking about?" Naruto asked in confusion as his eyes ping ponged between the two.

"Everyone you can stand down, I don't imagine there is much many of you could do against this woman anyways should she choose to lash out." Hiruzen proclaimed, "The person before you is Mei Terumi, the woman who led the Land of Water out of civil war, and is currently the Fifth Mizukage."

The tension between the surrounding shinobi could be cut with a knife. Even shinobi like Kakashi and the reputable Kazekage looked surprised by the revelation. Naruto however looked absolutely floored in his confusion.

"You're well informed Hokage-sama." Mei stated neutrally with a slightly forced smile.

"You become well read when you reach an old age such as mine. Terumi-san, this issue could have simply been resolved if you had at least introduced yourself publicly during the exam."

Mei curtsied with a smile, "Well Hokage-sama my people haven't been to a chunin exam in many years, not since the days of Akagahara. I am also surprised you were able to identify me. Not many outside of the Land of Water know who I am."

The grandfatherly Kage laughed, "Yes Mizukage, those were very different times. And they don't call me the professor simply because I'm old." the Hokage addressed.

"What the heck is going on!" Naruto burst out.

Mei grimaced briefly, "Naruto remember how I told you that I was from the Hidden Mist Village, but I would tell you who I was at the exam. Well it seems your Hokage beat me to the punch on that note."

Naruto's eyes widened like saucers at that, "What! I was trained by the Mizukage!" the blonde yelled as he nearly bounced on his feet in excitement.

Hiruzen smiled as his gaze moved from the stiff form of Mei to the excitable form of Naruto. "Indeed you were Naruto. You see I knew from the beginning that Miss Terumi had arrived at our village but would have liked to remain anonymous for the majority of the tournament. However during the second phase of the exam after your teammate Sasuke was attacked by an unknown assailant, Kakashi spoke to me after the preliminaries requesting to take Sasuke away from the village to keep him safe. He didn't want your friend to be targeted by another attack while inside of the village." Hiruzen explained.

Across from the wise Hokage, Mei's face went through a range of emotions from shock to a simmering anger as her hands began to lightly clench at her side as she listened to the Hokage's words.

"So naturally I found that Kakashi's reasoning as Sasuke's sensei was sound. However I knew he also had another student, being you, participating in the exam. We both agreed that abandoning you would not be right. I told your sensei that his request would be permitted as long as we were able to find you a suitable replacement for the month long period. This is when I had your sensei Kakashi approach Ebisu who would be your temporary replacement as I requested Miss Terumi to train you for the course of the month to go hand in hand with our preliminary talks for an alliance between our villages. She graciously accepted, and you apparently found her before she even needed to seek you out. It appears her training has done you some good Naruto." The Hokage said with a bright smile.

Naruto however was grinning from ear to ear, "Old man! You got the Mizukage to train me? Are you serious? That's awesome! Oh man where is that bastard, I got to tel-" Naruto said as he began ranting off as he scanned the field for any sign of Sasuke.

Although Naruto was in his own world over the new revelation regarding his training, the shinobi surrounding the blonde were deathly still.

Mei was squared off across from the Hokage, both of their stances firm and rigid. The shinobi that surrounded the village leaders were also significantly on edge.

"Hokage-sama. Mizukage-sama. I do believe we have other matches to get underway. Let us not keep those in the stadium waiting any longer." The Kazekage said in a smooth cool voice.

Hiruzen smiled at that notion, "Why Kazekage-sama you are right." the man said as he turned to face the Kazekage, "I do believe there are more exciting battles to be had on this day." the aged leader said as his eyes practically pierced through the Kazekage's robes. Although just as the Professor's steely gaze was on the Kazekage, it returned to his grandfatherly smile once it was on Mei again. "Now Terumi-san perhaps you would like to tend to your student before we carry on with the next match."

Mei stood still for several moments in silence before she forced herself to smile and gave a curtsy. "I'd appreciate that very much Hokage-sama." she said practically through her teeth.

Hiruzen smiled in turn with his gaze lingering on Mei for a few moments as he gave a nod to his shinobi to take their leave.

"Well played." Mei simply mouthed to the Hokage as he was the last one to remain from their encounter.

The Professor smirked and tipped his hat to the young Kage.

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Kakashi returned to the small collection of jounin gathered around their genin students. Gai had returned to the fold with Tenten and Shino joining shortly after.

"Kakashi-sensei, is Sasuke-kun alright?" Sakura asked hurriedly upon her sensei's return.

Kakashi gave a solemn nod as he returned to the group. "I just spoke with the Hokage-sama about what just transpired." Kakashi said as he looked down to the arena floor. Mei was walking to the other arena exit after Naruto.

"I can't believe she is the new Mizukage. I thought their country was still in civil war. You even said that Zabuza's goal was still to otherthrow the current power in the Mist." Kurenai stated her tone all business.

Kakashi nodded, "Well apparently he was either operating on old news or this Mei Terumi was his target."

"If her country just got out of civil war, she shouldn't have the time to be traveling around like this. Her village's foundations can't be that strong." Asuma stated with a drag of his cigarette.

"Perhaps she was seeking something that would help improve the village's foundations as they attempt to rebuild. The Hokage mentioned negotiations for an alliance." Gai suggested already having a feeling towards the woman's purpose.

"The Hokage lied." Kakashi said bluntly as he looked around between the jounin and the silent genin who knew that they should be staying quiet in this conversation. "He never met Mei or told her to seek Naruto out."

His words weighed on everyone in the group suddenly understanding what was underneath the image the woman had crafted.

Asuma took another drag on his cigarette, "See. This is why I no longer leave the village any longer than I have to." the former Twelve Guardian Shinobi muttered as he ashed his cigarette.

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Mei's face was cool and collected as she walked off of the arena floor following behind Naruto. Every step she took she could feel the wet dirt crumble beneath her feet. Her sandals soon found concrete as every step became firm and rigid. No more than a few steps into the tunnel leading from the arena Mei stopped as she took a heavy breath.

With an abrupt turn the auburn haired beauty jabbed her hand into the concrete wall of the tunnel. Her hand pierced into the wall like a hot knife through butter. She grabbed firmly into the wall before giving a heavy pull. A large section of it crumbled away as it melted while Mei let out a scream of rage before slamming her other first on the wall.

Not more than a couple seconds since her outcry a young blue haired shinobi with a large sword on his back appeared beside the woman. "Mei-sama! Are you alright?" he asked in a hurry as he did all he could to assist the woman.

"No Chojuro, I'm not okay." The woman said as her head fell against the wall her fist clenching and unclenching.

"What do you need me to do Mei-sama?" Chojuro asked obediently.

Mei pulled her hand roughly from the wall as she massaged where she had been buried to her forearm, "There's nothing you can do Chojuro." the Mizukage said quietly, "I was so stupid. I should have realized that _The Professor_ would have recognized me. Naruto wasn't supposed to find out like that." The woman whispered.

"I don't understand... Weren't you going to tell him anyways?" Chojuro asked in confusion, a sharpened tooth barely peeking out over his lip.

Mei gave a scoff, "Chojuro..." The woman muttered quietly as she gently cupped the boy's cheek. "Don't change. I hope you never have to lose the innocence our war spared you." the woman said fondly.

Chojuro opened his mouth to quickly speak, but was silenced as Mei placed a finger on the young teen's lips causing the young man to flush bright red.

"Return to Ao. I'm going to go see Naruto. If I can fix this, then I will stay. If not then we will be returning home within the hour." Mei said as she made her way down the hallway.

"Wait! Just like that?" Chojuro called after his village leader.

"Just like that." The woman affirmed as she continued walking.

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"So do you get the plan?" Shikamaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto stood across from the pineapple haired genin with an equally raised eyebrow, "I didn't know you were this smart Shikamaru."

"Gee thanks." the shinobi muttered.

"I thought you were lazy."

"I am."

"I though-"

"Naruto!" Shikamaru burst out annoyed.

"Yeah! Yeah I got it." Naruto said putting up his hands in defense, "I'll take care of him for you both alright?"

Shikamaru nodded with a weak smile as he extended his hand to the blonde, "Thanks Naruto."

Naruto looked down at the offered hand as he struggled to grasp it with the pain in his own, "How about this one." Naruto offered with a forced grin which Shikamaru saw right through.

"How about you get your injury looked at before your fight?" Shikamaru suggested as he accepted the handshake with his other hand.

"That's why I'm here." Mei's voice called out quietly behind the duo. They were in an empty hallway and their voices were already nearly echoing.

"Mei!" Naruto yelled out his voice echoing heavily through the halls.

The woman put on her best smile, "I'm right here Naruto. No need to yell. Show me your arm."

Shikamaru took this as his queue to leave as he gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder, "Good luck Naruto. I'm rooting for you. Win this for Konoha." the genin smiled.

Naruto returned a smile, "You bet. It's a promise."

The exchange only caused Mei's smile to falter.

The first couple minutes after Shikamaru had left were spent in total silence between the two of them. It was like a battle of wills in which one would speak first. There was just the slight hum of green medical chakra going over Naruto's injured arm.

"You know you could have just told me you were the Mizukage." Naruto said breaking the silence between them. "I wouldn't have judged you. Heck the old man told you to find me."

Mei weakly laughed as she shook her head, "Naruto I haven't been honest with you."

"Mei, like I said, it's fine. I was just saying you could have told me from the beginning."

"That's not what I'm talking about Naruto." the woman said as she stopped healing the boy in front of her. She placed her arms over his knees as she balanced her elbow on his knee so she could rest her face in her hand.

Naruto flushed a light red and was thankful for the lack of good lighting in the tunnel. The downward view of the woman practically resting on his legs was enough to send another teenage boy into a blood pumping craze. The blood would just pump to all the places he didn't want them to go at that opportune time. "Really? What is it then?" Naruto asked as he averted his gaze to the light fixtures.

"The Hokage was lying to you." Mei said quietly before shaking her head knowing that wasn't enough. "I lied to you."

Naruto's blue eyes suddenly were cast in confusion as he met Mei's familiar green orbs. "What do you mean?"

"The Hokage didn't send me to find you. I had come to the village to try and see how strong the youth of other villages were in contrast to my own village. Many of our youth were killed in the civil war or left orphan." Mei explained.

Naruto frowned at the memory of the story, "I know. I met one of them." Naruto muttered before he withdrew the gifted mask from his clothes.

Mei weakly smiled, "That you did." the woman said as she looked fondly over her work. "I never anticipated finding you Naruto. A young man that was so lost but also needed my help. I wanted to help you."

"You did help me!" Naruto said as he grasped the woman's hands with a smile, both of his arms in better condition than before. "You did so much for me. You fed me, clothed me, trained me. You are the greatest friend and sensei, and... well like... anything I could ask for!" Naruto said as he flushed a bit more stumbling over his words.

"That warms my heart Naruto." The woman said as she gently gave Naruto's hands a squeeze. "I like you a lot, perhaps more than I should."

Naruto's smile faltered, "What do you mean more than you should? What's wrong with liking me?"

"It's because of who you are Naruto."

"Mei you aren't making any sense!" Naruto practically cried out as he squeezed the woman's hands tighter. "Because who I am?" Naruto muttered as his eyes seemed to search within himself rapidly, "Did someone tell you more about the fox?" Naruto whispered, tears threatening to pour from his eyes. "Is that it? You can't like me because of the fox?"

The two sat in silence as Naruto simmered in his feelings, and Mei continued to gaze upon the blonde carefully.

"Of course not Naruto." The woman said as she sat down beside Naruto on the steps and pulled the teen to her breast in an embrace.

"Then what?" Naruto mumbled into the woman's chest. Mei's silence seemed to prompt the blonde further. "What is the reason?"

"We are from different villages Naruto. Don't you understand?"

"No! I don't understand! Just because we are from diff-"

"Naruto. I realized that as time went on I liked you more than I should. You are a shinobi of Konoha. I am the leader of another village. We will never see each other again after this month." Mei continued.

"No. No. That's not fair. You are the nicest person I have ever met."

"I know. You've told me."

"No, you don't! You don't know what it's like. Living in a place that you are supposed to call home, and turning around to no one that loves and cares about you looking out for you." Naruto explained.

"Naruto, I can't stay, and the feelings I have for you will just be forcibly taken from me. Maybe this is just Kami telling us that we're not fit to be together like this. Where I am leading a village, and it is your dream to lead your own."

Naruto's gaze fell at the mention of his own dream.

"The only way for us to be together would be for you to give up your dream here and to come with me. I can't ask you to do that, no matter how much I may want to."

"You want me to join your village?" Naruto whispered quietly as the thought rested heavily on his mind, his dream crumbling around it.

Mei gave Naruto's hand a gentle squeeze before she let go, "I do. This month I grew to love a brave young ninja who needed me as much as I needed him."

Naruto perked up at that, "You need me?" Naruto whispered.

"I do. But this is a choice you have to make for yourself. If you leave your village you will be hunted, just as Zabuza was hunted." Mei explained softly , "I can't promise that I can protect you from that." the woman finished as she stood up and took a few steps away from the blonde shinobi.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked quickly as Mei retreated.

"Your match was just called Naruto. Another Suna shinobi forfeit." the woman reported.

"Are you leaving? You aren't going to watch my matches?"

"I'm afraid not Naruto. I have to return to my own people."

"Wait, but you said it was my choice. You have always helped me, what should I do?" Naruto pleaded for answers.

Mei looked remorseful as she spoke, "A long time ago I once made a choice between love and my ambitions."

"What did you choose?"

Mei smiled weakly and shook her head. "I can't tell you that Naruto."

"Did you regret your choice?"

Mei smiled, "I did." the woman said as she collapsed into a puddle on the floor.

Naruto leapt to his feet in shock as the white mask clattered to the ground in front of him. Inside the mask was a neatly folded piece of paper.

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The roar of the crowd was practically shaking the stadium stands as Naruto was given his introduction. Many had believed that the young Uzumaki would be the underdog for the majority of the tournament. The bets being placed on the matches had anticipated the young blonde falling short in his match against the Hyuuga prodigy, let alone his Uchiha teammate. He was an underdog that the people were invested in seeing win at this point.

The blonde teen stood still with his dark hood down on the arena floor. His hair nearly shadowed over his eyes as he paid no attention to the crowd. His focus was on the clutched piece of paper in his hand hand and his mask in his other.

"Quite a different reaction from your first appearance." Gemna noted with a grin.

"Yeah. So it would seem." The blonde muttered as he reread the words on the tiny piece of paper.

' _Meet me here in one hour.'_ was all that was said on the note written on a small portion of Konoha's village map.

"Alright well you usually have something to say before these matches. Do either of you have anything to say to each other this time around?"

Across from the Konoha shinobi was the bandaged sound shinobi Dosu. "I was planning on getting my rematch against Sasuke. However I believe that this boy from the desert will have to do next. Your tricks won't work on me, and I'm not scared of some mask like your teammate was."

Naruto stayed silent as the words repeated over and over in his head like a manta. _'One hour. One hour. One hour. One hour.'_

"Naruto?" Genma asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. The kid usually had something to say.

"Do you keep track of the time down here?" The blonde asked snapping out of his thoughts.

Genma reached within his pocket to pull out a small stopwatch which he flashed to the genin.

"Can you tell me when thirty minutes have passed, if we get to that point?" Naruto asked politely.

"Don't worry. We won't." Dosu called out from across the way. His smirk was even visible underneath all of his bandages.

"Sure kid." Genma replied with a nod as he held his hand up to call the match. "Begin!"

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"About time you got here, that was embarrassing." Ino complained as the Pineapple haired genin joined their group.

"Gee thanks."

"Oh don't listen to her Shikamaru, you did good. That guy is really tough." Chouji said as he continued munching on a large bag of popcorn.

"I have to agree Shikamaru. I saw first hand what that sound engine of his was capable of. He was going to be a tough fight. I doubt many first year genin can beat someone like that." Tenten spoke up for one of the rare moments she decided to join in on the conversation with those a year younger than her.

"Not to mention the guy still creeps me out." Sakura muttered under her breath as she watched the Sound Ninja unveil his tool of choice on the arena floor.

"He's not so tough. During our fight he relies heavily on his tool, and for that reason he knows how it works pretty well. However he can be pretty easily beaten in a few ways." Shikamaru said before taking a brief glance around, "What happened to everyone's senseis? I saw all of them up here during my match."

"They said they were going to go talk to the Hokage or something." Chouji said noncommittally.

"If he can be beaten so easily, why didn't you defeat him Shikamaru?" Shino pried. There was a tinge of heaviness to his voice that was more emotion than Shino typically displayed. He was probably questioning whether it was the right decision to surrender his match against the sand ninja.

"Because I couldn't." The young genius provided as his eyes focused in on Naruto. "But I know Naruto can."

There was some visible surprise that rippled through the group like a rock being dropped in a pond. "Why are you so confident in this kid? Why are all of you so confident in him? He beat his opponent by farting on him!" Tenten asked in mild disbelief as she gauged the reactions on everyone's faces.

"Naruto was the dead last of the academy. Yet he hated that moniker. I was second to last in the academy. People look at him and see a failure, or they look at me and see someone without any ambition, but it isn't like that. Naruto had all of the motivation needed to become a good ninja, but none of the support the rest of our class had." Shikamaru began to explain as the others listened intently.

"Shino's family members at birth are injected with the legacy of their clan. They are taught how to use family techniques because it is part of their culture. Ino, Chouji, and myself, we all come from clans and have parents that were on a team together. Our success as a team of shinobi was almost designed before we even entered the exams together. Perhaps before we were even truly ninja. Even Sakura comes from a family that is well off, and has both her mother and father supporting her, she grew up reading books because her mother runs and manages the library. You can't cite a single person in our graduating class that didn't have some form of outside help besides Naruto. Even you Tenten, a blacksmith's daughter." Shikamaru stated bluntly.

"Jeez Shikamaru, I think this is the most I've ever heard you talk or explain things to people without getting bored. Is my baby growing up?" Ino teased as she pinched the pineapple haired genin's cheek.

Shikamaru shook his head and brushed her hand off, "Knock it off Ino, I'm being serious. The reason, and the only reason Naruto stands down there further than any of us is his drive."

"Oh whatever Shikamaru. I think he only just recently got this good. That month of training did him wonders." Ino said with a grin in a sing-song voice, "Particularly for his body." the blonde girl added as an afterthought.

"That's a lot of talk, but if he was really so driven, why didn't he grow up reading books like Sakura? I'm not like my teammate Neji. I don't believe success is genetic. Lee proves that hard work can help you climb mountains. Although this drive, I don't see it." Tenten stated.

"Naruto wasn't in the library reading books because he didn't know how to read." Shikamaru said with a sigh.

Sakura practically rounded on Shikamaru on that note, "Wait what? How do you know that Shikamaru? I never knew that." the blonde's pink haired teammate rattled off in surprise.

Shikamaru palmed his face and sighed, "I know because back when we were in the academy, he asked me for help."

"Wait, so you taught Naruto how to read?" Ino ask incredulously.

Shikamaru grimaced, "No. He taught himself. I turned him down."

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"I will admit that your performance in the finals was better than your performance in the preliminaries. At least you have that going for you. Although your road to victory ends here." Dosu said.

Naruto pulled up his hood before slipping the gifted mask in place. He then settled into a loose stance as an orb of water began to grow in front of the blonde.

"Water eh? Apparently you didn't pay attention to the lesson I taught in the preliminaries!" Dosu mocked before shoving his arm forward as soundwaves fired outward from the weapon.

The dust on the ground shot aside as the waves of sound rocketed toward the blonde.

Immediately Naruto dove into the pool of water in front of him. The pool continued to grow and shape as water materialized out of thin air and collected in the orb.

Dosu smirked as he fired an even greater volume of sound on orb of floating water. The water rippled and warped with sound waves dancing along the surface of the orb at the act.

However the blonde shinobi looked unaffected. He swiped his hand outward in an arc several times. Blades of water arced out across the arena floor carving into the dirty.

Dosu expertly dodged the distant oncoming attacks while sending back wave after wave of sound against the orb of water.

The orb began to slowly drift toward the bandaged shinobi on the opposite side of the field as Dosu's attacks continued to be ineffective.

"If you think I'm going to let you just stay back and attack me, you're wrong." Dosu said as he charged forward at the rapidly incoming blades of water being slashed his way.

Dosu's sound engine produced wave after wave of energy visibly distorting the smaller arcs of water as he pressed forward.

The bandaged ninja jabbed his hand into the orb of water upon arrival. "You should have learned that sound can move through water."

As the sound engine flared to life, the entire orb of water began to distort and lose shape. The form of Naruto inside the water began to heavy and clutch at his body.

The tables turned immediately when a hand burst forth from the ground and grabbed Dosu's ankle.

"What!" The confident sound shinobi yelled in shock. His feet were pulled out from under him as he fell back to the muddy floor.

Naruto burst forth from the wet ground as the 'Naruto' inside the sphere of water collapsed back into the sphere showing it's true form.

The water floating overhead immediately came crashing down upon Dosu with the weight of a raging waterfall.

Naruto quickly grabbed the shinobi wire from his pocket and with a practiced ease pinned Dosu's arm down all the way to his straw raincoat.

The sound engine continued to blare loudly as the Sound Ninja attempted to control the sound waves with chakra.

Naruto cringed briefly as the water would shift over the the engine, enhanced sound waves bleeding out causing the blonde's vision to blur.

Naruto flared his chakra as more water pulled out of the air in a violent crash coming down right upon the sound ninja and his drowned scream of pain.

"Give up!" Naruto demanded as the sound engine filled up with water, bubbles trying desperately to be heard from the water.

"Never!" Dosu yelled back angrily as he tried to force his body up under the incredible pressure.

Naruto frowned behind his mask as he looked over Dosu before his gaze fell on Genma.

The senbon chewing proctor shrugged his shoulders, "If he wants to keep going..."

Naruto's jaw tightened at the thought. _'One hour.'_ "Please surrender. I don't want to hurt you anymore." Naruto pleaded.

Dosu laughed behind his bandages, "That is the thing with you Konoha ninja. You aren't able to do that is necessary!" Dosu fired back.

Naruto's eyes fell behind his mask before he gave a sigh. "Fine."

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"I don't get it. How was Naruto able to get that close to him? That sound device was able to put out enough sound to make Lee's ears bleed!" Sakura said in wonder as she watched the bandaged shinobi pinned under a never ending downpour of water, all noise from his device drowned out.

Shikamaru sighed as he watched the one sided fight play out. It was playing out exactly how he expected it to. "Water is denser than air. While sound can travel through air at upwards seven hundred miles per hour, in water it is much different. Sound travels through water over four times as faster and further than air."

"If that is the case, then why isn't it affecting him? Shouldn't he be in more pain then or something?" Ino asked as the fight was proving to be quite one sided. Naruto had reached up and snatched the bandages from Dosu's face unraveling them all over the sound ninja.

"Because Dosu fights using sound waves. Sound waves don't transmit between air and water well. The way Dosu's attack works is funneling the sound ways through a person's ear drum, and generally into an air-filled chamber in the middle of the ear. However since Naruto submerged himself in the water, sound wasn't able to easily transmit into the sphere. Now it's the opposite. Naruto has the sound device submerged in water while he is standing out in the air. The sound waves once again aren't able to affect him." Shikamaru explained as he watched the fight.

Everyone surrounding the pineapple haired shinobi suddenly was looking on the fight below with a degree of respect and surprise.

"How did he come up with that plan?" Tenten asked in surprise.

Shikamaru spared Chouji a pointed look before turning to Tenten, "I guess he figured it out himself. He's better than people give him credit for."

"Holy shit!" Ino yelled in shock.

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Naruto stood on the arena floor with a grimace on his face. A torrent of water had shot off of Dosu's form before launching directly at his now exposed mouth.

Dosu began to thrash back and forth as his eyes widened, struggling against the wire and liquid restraints.

Genma rushed over and raised his hand, "Alright, fair enough. I'm calling it." The bandana wearing proctor said as Naruto quickly ceased drowning the Sound genin and the water collapsed to the ground into a puddle where the sound shinobi lay prone and sputtering. "Winner! Uzumaki Naruto!" Genma called out as the crowd once again roared to life for their most successful competitor.

"What's the time?"

Genma looked to his watch, "It's only been about fifteen minutes." Genma reported, "Anyways go check out with a medic so that I can get the next match underway."

Naruto nodded and began walking off the arena floor as Genma turned back to the stands to introduce the next match.

"Gaara of the Desert!" Genma's voice proclaimed loudly upon introduction.

"Naruto behind you!" Sakura's cry yelled over the crowd and sailing into Naruto's ears. Although by the time her words had reached, something else hit him first.

Naruto was sent sailing across the arena floor before tumbling violently across the wet and ruined dirt. The crowd had cried out in shocked gasps that quickly turned to outrage.

"See! You can't do what is necessary! You can't finish what you started!" Dosu proclaimed with a cough, his body still winded from the near drowning he experienced moments before.

Naruto struggled to his knees as his vision blurred as he look across the arena floor. Genma and several other shinobi were converging on Dosu. Although before the shinobi could arrive a pool of sand surrounded at Dosu's feet consumed the genin like a shark's jaws consuming it's prey. The only area of Dosu left exposed was the tattered bandages that once wrapped around his face.

The glob of sand enclosed around Dosu and crushed itself inward with a sickening squish. People in the stands cringed as the bandages peeking out of the sand began to turn red. At the bottom of the sand glob, dark and thick pools of blood were leaking out between the grains.

Naruto's gaze went between the backstabbing sound ninja and the red haired sand shinobi. Although the most unnerving part about the scene was that the sand shinobi wasn't paying attention to the sound shinobi caught in his technique. Instead he was silently gazing across at Naruto's fallen form.

In a swirl of leaves Genma was at Naruto's side offering the blonde a hand, "Sorry about that. Usually the medics just come and take them away. Didn't think anyone would have the balls to attack someone in front of the entire arena like that. I'll get you some time. "

Naruto frowned as he accepted the offered hand, although his gaze was still locked on Gaara. "Well apparently a few people are." Naruto mumbled as he tried to ignore the redheads crazed look.

The man laughed, "Yeah well, I can't say I feel sorry for him after the stunt he just pulled." the man said with his senbon shifting between his lips, "Just try and get yourself looked at alright? That last attack looked like it hurt."

Naruto nodded quietly in acknowledgment as he left the arena. However this time he didn't turn his back on the people that resided in it.

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Naruto stumbled into the dark hallway collapsing his back against the the wall. Across from him on the opposite side of the walkway the wall was utterly ruined. A large section of the wall had been pulled right out and crumbled to the floor.

Naruto held his chest no longer having to hide his weakness in front of the crowd. He removed his mask and unbuttoned the front of his top before gingerly prodding his bruised ribs.

Naruto hissed in pain at the contact as a pool of water collected near his fingertip which he proceeded to have cover the injured portion of his ribs.

"Water isn't going to do you any good. Four of your ribs are cracked."

Naruto peered out of his squinted eyes to the new arrival, "Well hey there Firework."

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Anyways this was a fun chapter for me to write. One of my favorite things about writing fanfiction is the ability to fill in gaps in the story with any way you feel. EX: Naruto teaching himself how to read, or Ayame having been a shinobi before the story starts and had classes with Naruto is the reason he visits the shop so often. Things like that.

As for the chapter. Same thing as I mentioned with the battles. I think you have seen a small handful of them now to get a decent feel of my goal. If they aren't telling a story and developing characters in some meaningful way. There is no point.

Hopefully this chapter effectively answered all of the "WTF is the Hokage doing? Why is Mei not being called in for questioning!" and all of the other hyperbolic questions. The Hokage is dealing with rooting out a spy, an invasion, kidnapping by multiple villages. Being aware of a situation doesn't mean that it has to be a most important priority even though we all like to think that the worlds revolve around our protagonists.

So I look forward to reading reviews and comments on the chapter. I initially had a goal of 700 by the end of 10 chapters. Doesn't look like that will happen though. So I have to keep walkin', hopefully I will see 500 by the end of this arc.

See you all next week.


	7. The Cold Winds

The longest chapter yet. However I posted late. Will be changing the days these chapters are posted, explained below.

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"Mei-sama, you really aren't going to watch his match?" Chojuro asked as their small group sat not far outside the Hidden Leaf Village. Both Mei and her other subordinate Ao sat across from them tending to their equipment.

"No Chojuro, I'm not." The woman said with a sad smile.

"Why not?" the young blue haired shinobi questioned.

"Because Chojuro, whether Naruto knows it or not, he has already made his choice. He's not coming." Mei announced.

"I don't get it, how do you know?" Ao asked aloud as his attention was elsewhere. The veins surrounding the eyepatch of the mist shinobi pulsed and strained.

"Because I wouldn't. Whether I want to admit it or not, Naruto is just like me. When the time comes where he will have to make a decision between love and his ambitions, he will choose his ambitions every time even though it may lead him to life of misery."

"Are you miserable Mei?" the young blue haired teen asked.

The woman weakly smiled in response, "No Chojuro. I got let go of my misery long ago. Now I'm just lonely."

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"Well now Hokage, surely that was a surprising turn of events." The Kazekage suggested in a smooth voice as he turned to the Hidden Leaf Village leader.

"Well I cannot say it is surprising Kazekage. The shinobi of the Hidden Sound Village are largely unknown. While the unprovoked attack did provide some shock, the boy paid the price for his actions." Hiruzen summarized as Dosu's remains were removed from the arena, "The only unfortunate thing is that so many of my people had to bare witness to such an act."

"Ahh yes. The Professor, always being mindful of those that reside under the shadow of his title."

"It is for that reason that our people have thrived for so long Kazekage. The will of fire burns bright in all of those living in the shadow of the great tree that is the leaf village. Everyone plays a part. The civilian families the roots that are tended with care. Our laws and will of fire is the trunk that holds our people together, and the leaves which are the shinobi protecting everyone in the shadow that they provide."

"Yet surely Hokage, a time comes where the leaves will fall and smother the foundations."

Hiruzen smirked at the comment, "Perhaps some day Kazekage. However that won't happen today, or anytime soon."

"I wish I shared your optimism. However war is always on the horizon in the Elemental Nations."

"War is on the horizon because men like you remain in charge Kazekage. Instead of seeking peace, you dwell in your past. War will undoubtedly come, but it will not be of Konoha's doing."

The Kazekage smirked at the thought, "I believe your old age has made you senile. A war not of Konoha's doing? All the other nations are willing to band together because they are frustrated in that your people live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."

"And when that time comes Kazekage, we will pass this trial just as we have passed others."

"When that time comes, it may be too late for you to try."

"And it is for those reasons you weren't chosen to become Hokage, Orochimaru." Hiruzen stated as his gaze locked on the figure dressed in Kazekage robes.

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The blonde shinobi gave a heavy sigh as he had his arm raised lightly above his head as the female medical ninja in her early twenties continued to work on his injured ribs. Seated across from him in a chair with her legs kicked up on the medical bed was the youngest Hyuuga the blonde knew.

"Is there a reason you're here Hanabi?" Naruto grumbled before giving a hiss through the healing process.

"You need to sit still." The medical ninja reprimanded as she lightly slapped the boy's knee. Her doctor-patient conduct left much to be desired.

"I've never been injured before like you. Seeing your cracked ribs trying to mend themselves is interesting." The girl announced noncommittally as she tilted her head and the veins by her eyes being exposed from behind her hair.

"Attempting?" Naruto repeated shifting uncomfortably, earning him another swat from the medic.

"Well your chakra isn't really accepting the help of hers." Hanabi noted, "It's like there are two chakras inside of you that are fighting against each other leaving no room for her chakra to actually help you." Hanabi assessed.

Naruto stiffened considerably while the medical ninja briefly paused in her work. The medic locked eyes with the boy knowingly, her large brown eyes drawing attention to her clan markings.

"Hanabi since you can see what is going on, can you come over here and assist me then." The medic asked politely.

Hanabi's feet swung off the side of the bed as she hopped out of the chair and onto her feet.

Quickly the two of them went through a portion of medical talk that Naruto didn't really understand. Although he was able to catch the general idea of what was going to happen. Hanabi was going to block off the chakra flow of certain areas where the medical ninja needed to heal so that her chakra could work unaffected. The work the young Hyuuga was given seemed to quiet her down as she started to focus.

"So Naruto, congratulations. It seems you have made it pretty far in this tournament, and you have displayed a lot of skill for someone your age. My brother couldn't believe that he was beaten by you in the preliminaries, but now I believe I can understand why."

"You're Kiba's older sister?" Naruto asked in surprise, suddenly the familiar markings on her cheeks making much more sense.

"Hana." She greeted, "I am Konoha's leading veterinarian, but I am also a trained medical shinobi and I was asked to assist in the exams." The woman said, her eyes focused on the blonde's ribs. The sound of her medical chakra was much louder than before, and was likely working in full force no longer being impeded by Naruto's own chakras. "You know with these injuries if you quit now you would almost certainly be guaranteed a promotion based on the strategies and decision making you have already made this tournament."

Naruto looked downward at that. As much as he wanted the promotion to chunin, and to show off how he had gone further than anyone else, it was no longer just about a promotion for him. He wanted to win. "I... I will think about it." Naruto lied quietly.

Hana chuckled lightly to herself as she stood up, "That's enough Hanabi." The woman said quietly before turning to Naruto, "And do you know that both you and my brother are rather alike?"

"Really?" Naruto asked raising an eyebrow.

"Both of you can never back down from a fight, and both of you are awful liars." Hana stated with a laugh as she gently pat the blonde on his shoulder. "I'd try not to get hit in your wounds. Think of medical chakra like it's glue. It is holding everything together, but right now it's still wet. If you put stress on your injuries, everything can come apart again. That's why I suggested you take the smart way out."

Naruto numbly nodded at the thought. "But if I back down, what does that show people? I want to be Hokage. I can't run."

Hanabi snorted loudly.

"Growing in your shinobi career, sometimes you learn that it is a smarter move to run and fight another day rather than possibly failing in your pursuit."

"I won't fail!" Naruto proclaimed as he swung himself off the bed, the stadium roaring as his match was finally called and his grace period ended.

Hana smiled weakly, "Everyone falls at some point in their lives." the Inuzuka clan member said as she parted ways from the group.

Naruto sighed and made his way to the corner of the room quickly fastening his gear back onto his body. Over his shoulder Hanabi stood off to the side with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What is it Hanabi?" Naruto grumbled as he fastened on his shoulder pads and guards.

"So you asked earlier why I am here. Well I lied. After we spoke up in the stands-"

"You mean argued?" Naruto fired back.

"Whatever." the teen said as she shrugged her shoulders without care, "I ended up running into my sister when I went back to go sit with my father. She told me what happened during the exam."

"You came to me like that earlier before even talking to your sister?"

"Well I didn't expect her to tell me that you were essentially too big of an idiot to even understand the intricacies of the Hyuuga family taijutsu, let alone learn a technique such as that." Hanabi proclaimed.

"Really." Naruto said with a deadpanned expression. "Because that sounds like your sister..."

"My words, not hers." Hanabi quipped causing the blonde to roll his eyes. "Anyways she said that I should apologize to you."

Naruto sighed, "Because this sounds apologetic? Do you even want to?"

"Not really. I'm here because my sister likes you and wants me to be nice to you. I thought before that you were merely an idiot way out of his depth against someone like Neji. However now you've shown yourself to be a bit more capable than I initially thought. Still, you're an idiot." Hanabi stated bluntly.

Naruto chuckled, "Well I'm glad we got that out of the way." Naruto said as he finished putting on his gear, "Anything else you want to drop on me before I head in to my match princess?"

Hanabi bristled, "You called me firework." The girl said in irritation, "And princess."

"Well you are a princess." Naruto ticked off with his fingers, "And you like to blow up like a firework." he continued.

Hanabi returned a salty smile, "You know what Naruto, I take my apology back."

Naruto scoffed, "Hanabi, you never meant it anyway."

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"You get yourself patched up?" Genma asked over the roar of the crowd.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders on his approach, "As best as it will get for now I suppose."

Genma looked over the blonde's ragged appearance before shifting his gaze over to the fresh and collected form of Gaara. "You know there is no shame in tapping out here. That kid hasn't even had to fight a match yet."

"Yeah, people keep telling me that." Naruto grumbled averting his gaze from the proctor. "I'm not going to give up."

"Part of becoming a chunin is knowing when enough is enough, and the right time to throw the towel in. You have a lot of guts kid, and you can do some crazy things. However if you follow through with this match and fail? Everyone up there is just going to see you as some kid that doesn't know when to quit, and will run his comrades into danger and get them killed."

"I came into this tournament wanting to win, but when I found myself on my own with no one by my side, I felt completely lost. I lost sight of why I wanted to be in the tournament in the first place." Naruto said as he gave a wave to the roar of the crowd, "I wanted people to accept and acknowledge me. Yet during this month long period of training we had, I found that in my teacher, and no one else. Now here I am standing here looking up at all of these people cheering my name, people who never used to even spare me glance. Now the one face I want to see I know is not up there with them." Naruto said quietly as the crowd continued to cheer.

"That is because you are alone." The redhead across from the blonde muttered. "Your friends will abandon you."

Naruto straightened up and faced his opponent upon his mutterings.

"Like I said. Still not too late." Genma stated, gesturing with his head to the blood stain that was on the arena floor from where Dosu had been devastated earlier.

Naruto's eyes briefly scanned past the arena taking in the sight of the many faces with expert precision. All of his peers sat collected together watching eagerly for his match to unfold. The Hokage was in his box, the hat tipped down shadowing his face just like his title. All of the onlookers in the crowd were cheering for the match to start.

And there was no sign of Mei.

"It is for me." Naruto said quietly as he fastened on the mask he had come accept as his own. A single thought flashed through the blonde's mind as it secured itself on his face.

' _One Hour.'_

Although the clock in his brain told him that he would be running far too late.

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"Hanabi! Where have you been? I have been looking all over for you." the distressed Hyuuga head said as he closed in on his daughter.

Hanabi was leaning against the railing of the arena watching the match in interest. "I went to go confront Uzumaki and then Hinata asked me to go do her a favor." she explained with a shrug of her shoulders unwilling to meet her father's eyes in fear of her lie being exposed.

"Is that so?" Hiashi questioned poising a look down on his daughter, "And pray tell, what was it that your sister asked of you?" the man asked seeing through Hanabi's words.

"She wanted me to talk to her Aburame teammate, Shino. She wanted to know why he chose to forfeit his match."

"Were you able to tell her his reasonings?"

Hanabi tried her best to keep her eyes focused on the battle at hand and away from her typically demanding father. "I couldn't find her at her seat."

"That is because your sister's health has slipped in her recovery. She tried to push herself too early to bare witness to these exams. She now resides in a hospital bed courtesy of her fresh injuries alongside your cousin."

"Wait what did she do?" the girl asked in surprise.

"Against advisement of the hospital staff she checked out of her care today and came to the exam. However the moving around put strain on the injuries she received a month prior and the strain caused her to collapse. We are lucky that a medical ninja was close by and able to assist her. So now I have to ask, did you know of her plan before today?"

Hanabi snorted at the thought, "No father. We don't talk much."

"Just enough to do each other favors Hanabi." the Hyuuga Head said in an accusatory tone.

"I guess..." Hanabi said quietly, not really wanting to delve into the subject with a man as perceptive as her father.

"I see. Well come with me. We must go attend to your sister and cousin."

"What!" Hanabi exclaimed her voice barely louder than the sudden roar of the crowd as the match intensified. "You expect me to miss the finals? No way!"

"Hanabi! They are your family."

"So what? It's not like they are going to be moving anywhere anytime soon! Why must I be punished for them being injured?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous, you're acting like a child Hanabi. These games do not truly matter."

"You're only saying that now because your nephew is no longer in them. Now here is the boy that not only beat him, but has beaten everyone! And you aren't even the least bit interested in how it will turn out?" Hanabi pleaded.

Hiashi turned a stone faced gaze down to the field as his white eyes followed the hectic flow of battle before they settled on his daughter once again. "Fine. Inform me how the match unfolds. However upon it's resolution you shall join me in the hospital to visit your family. Understood?"

"Yes father." Hanabi said quietly as she bowed her head.

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Naruto stood hunched over supporting himself on his knees as his body drew ragged breaths. A stream of blood was trickling from the top of his forehead down the side of his mask, his blonde hairs stained with blood.

Across from him stood an equally winded Gaara with his sand saturated with water. The armor covering his body had taken on a darker hue.

Their battle had been intense without a second's break until now. It wasn't special or tactical like the previous matches that had been shown. It was a graphic depiction of what happened when the unstoppable force met the immovable object.

Naruto's jaw tightened as he peered past the blood in his eyes to the blood crazed sight of Gaara. His covered form was wet and saturated with both water and the blood of Gaara's fallen enemies, notably Dosu.

Time and time again Naruto had stripped the red haired shinobi of his sand armor that covered his body only to be pressed on the defensive by an overwhelming offensive. The sand armor would reapply itself with wet sand, and they would once again be back to square one.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment as he felt his chakra spread out to all of the moisture in the air that he could control before it honed in on the numerous puddles left on the ground. As the chakra spread out to greater distances it finally reached Gaara, and covered his entire form, including the sand that covered his body. Then the chakra continued to penetrate inward.

Naruto felt a knot grow in the pit of his stomach as he knew he _could_ crush the wet sand covering the red headed ninja inward. However the question was, _could he_? Naruto soon found himself asking not whether he could win, but how important winning was to him. In the back of his mind the words that Dosu had said shortly before his death flashed through his mind.

" _You are unable to do what is necessary."_

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut firmly as he reached out and assumed control of the water saturated sand before he began to slowly constrict the sand.

The sand surrounding Gaara flared to life and started swirling around as Naruto continued to squeeze.

Although they both knew it was an empty threat. Although it didn't go unnoticed by Genma who was standing several yards away.

"So are you going to do it kid?"

It was the first break from silence in contrast to the other rather talkative matches. Although the line of questioning didn't serve to ease any of the tension.

' _One Hour.'_ the voice in his mind repeated as he let go of his hold on the red head.

Gaara took the opportunity to have his freedom returned to him immediately as the sand that covered his body immediately purged itself outward before he surrounded himself in a sphere of sand.

Naruto gave a heavy sigh as he looked up to the stadium, "There isn't even a reward for the tournament. Becoming chunin isn't even guaranteed." Naruto muttered as the crowd continued to cheer him onward.

"You're right, it's not." Genma admitted with a shrug, "Although you have performed admirably."

Naruto gave a nod alongside another sigh, "Yeah, but I'm not just going to kill someone that refuses to surrender just for the sake of winning. I forfeit." the blonde muttered as the crowd fell silent. Although it was unlikely that they heard his confession.

Genma rounded on the blonde in surprise, removing his senbon from his mouth. "Really? After all of that?"

Before either Naruto or Genma could speak further the entire arena was rocked with a large explosion. Sirens began to blare around the stadium as the silent decks submitted to the sound of clashing steel.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked wide eyed as the steel clangs began to echo around the stadium.

Genma returned the senbon to his mouth, "About time." He muttered before turning to Naruto, "We're being invaded. Get to your sensei Naruto. Consider anyone that is not a Konoha shinobi a threat."

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Naruto burst into action the instant Genma did, although considerably slower than the Jounin. Naruto burst through the swirl of leaves that Genma had left behind in the arena floor as he darted for the closest stadium wall and quickly began to scale it. While there were fights going on in the stands, the arena floor was pretty much a kill zone.

Naruto jumped up quickly diving over the railing and into the stands, sliding down to cover behind one of the many chairs. His stomach nearly released it's contents at the sight before him. All of the civilians had been put to sleep. However the Sound and Sand shinobi that were running around fighting against Konoha ninja had no regard towards where they were throwing their volleys of shuriken.

For that reason many Konoha shinobi had taken to fighting in the walkway behind the stands, but their inability to move largely made them sitting ducks for some of the enemy shinobi's more dangerous techniques.

Naruto quickly scanned around before his stomach knotted tightly as he watched the sight in slow motion. A sound shinobi had defeated his opponent with a fell swipe of his kunai before he launched it at an unconscious civilian with his head down in their seat.

Naruto stood and swung forward with his fist as a precise burst of water materialized from the air and intercepted the kunai causing it to clatter on the staircase beside the man's seat.

The sound ninja's attention quickly found Naruto as he began firing burst after burst of wind at the Konoha genin.

An ring of water materialized quickly behind the blonde as he began to use it as a shield to block the bursts. Each blast hit the orb blowing off drops around them in a shower.

The Ninja's volley took pause as Naruto pressed his own offensive behind his self made cover. Barrage after barrage of water was sent at the shinobi.

The Sound ninja stumbled under the barrage as Naruto leapt forward in pursuit with a kick downward that sent a slashing wave of water his opponents way.

The Sound Ninja dove to the side scrambling against the arena seats out of the which would have put the civilians in harms way.

Naruto stomped his feet into the ground planting them firmly with chakra as a wave of water materialized behind the sound shinobi washing him towards the blonde with incredible force. Naruto's fist connected with his opponent's jaw as he slid forward forcing him into the realm of unconsciousness.

"Look out!"

Immediately the blonde was tackled from behind as dark hair fell over his face and a barrage of kunai sailed over head.

Although both Naruto and his savior were on their feet before they had time to process the event, both of them launching into combat with both a Sound and a Sand ninja that opposed them.

Naruto recognized his opponent as the Sand Shinobi that was Gaara's sensei, Baki. Naruto had burst into action as quickly as he could after his recovery. His strategy followed similar beats as he let loose burst after burst of water against the ninja. Although his opponent this time proved far more adept at handling himself.

A blade of wind surged to life on Baki's arm with a sharp gusting sound as it cut and slashed through burst after burst of water.

Naruto backpedaled as he continued to let loose volley after volley, each one larger than the last as Baki's offensive blade of wind continued to cut through the attacks like a hot knife through butter.

Naruto grimaced as he felt his heel back into the unconscious sound shinobi from before as his paces continued. Off to the side he saw the dark haired girl, Hanabi in her own precise exchange of blows with her own opponent, although she too was gradually being pushed back in an uphill battle.

Naruto spun around with a kick slashing water in a horizontal arc.

Baki ducked under the wave of water rushing his way only for the slash to fly by and slam into it's intended target. The blast rammed Hanabi's opponent into the wall with enough force for the man's head to rebound off of the wall with a thud leaving him bloody and unconscious. Although the attack didn't stop Baki's approach.

The wind user lunged at Naruto with his blade of wind.

The blonde withdrew a kunai desperately blocking the attack as he struggled to hold back the blade of wind. Slowly the invisible blade began to sink into the kunai threatening to cut the blade in half.

Just as the kunai split off with the sound of snapping metal, Hanabi spun in on her heel before slamming her hand palm first into the ribcage of Baki. A torrent of wind enveloped in her palm upon contact as the man's clothes ripped away at the blow. He was immediately blasted backwards down the stairs to the arena railing.

The man forced himself onto his feet with the blade of wind reactivating along his arm.

In between both Hanabi and Naruto a swirl of leaves appeared that both of them jumped back from ready for yet another fight.

"Both of you, find your friends and get out of here." Genma voiced as his teeth tightened down on his senbon. "You're no match for this guy."

Naruto and Hanabi both hesitantly found their gaze resting on the rising form of Baki.

"Now! Both of you!"

The two of them dashed off immediately leaving Genma with the dangerous wind wielding opponent. They weren't going to be told a third time.

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"Let me take point you idiot!" Hanabi whispered harshly as she pushed the blonde back against a wall as her breathing stilled. The veins alongside her eyes were strained and her eyes scanned all of her surroundings.

Naruto snorted, "Thanks for the save back there when you showed up."

"Yeah, you don't pay attention." Hanabi quipped. "Besides, I couldn't let you go ahead and die. My sister would never get over that."

"You keep calling me an idiot and saying this is for your sister, but this is the second time you have helped me today Hanabi."

"I know. Not my greatest moment, but someone had to save you."

Naruto laughed, "Whatever you say Princess. You were getting beaten around just like I was."

"I'm a Hyuuga, Naruto. I don't get beaten around." The girl said as she exposed herself briefly from behind cover.

"Tell that to Neji." Naruto said as he darted on ahead at the sight of a familiar head of pink hair.

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"Sakura!" Naruto yelled out as he rushed to the group of genin. They had all huddled together into a defensive formation. The group was the remaining members of the Konoha teams. Sakura stood defensively with a kunai in her hand right beside Tenten who was equally armed. Behind her was an injured Shino and Shikamaru, both of them having seen better days. Ino was tending to both of their injuries as best she could. On the opposite side of the formation was both Chouji and Kiba accompanied by a growling Akamaru.

Sakura's eyes lit up as she practically dropped her kunai, "Oh Kami! Naruto!" Sakura cried out as she pulled the blonde genin into a tight hug which the boy returned. "I saw you run up the arena on the other side and then there was an explosion! I thought..." his pink haired teammate finished mumbling into the hug.

Naruto let out a heavy breath as he practically melted in his crushes arms, but the sounds of battle quickly drew them back to reality. "What happened?" the blonde asked gesturing to the injured comrades.

"See for yourself Naruto!" Kiba barked from his side of the formation. Naruto pushed his way through the group moving past Shikamaru, Ino, and Shino on the ground as he made his way to the other side. Once he was there he saw the fallen remains of three sound shinobi. One corpse still had it's hand burying a kunai within his own neck. Another corpse was covered in bugs crawling about the wounds that had been made on the surface. It was here that Naruto was able to notice the small trail of bugs skittering across the ground like a working ant colony back and forth to Shino.

"If you are curious Naruto, the bugs you see are both my Kidaichu and Kikaichu. They are working together in effort to repair the damage that was done in our encounter with the enemy shinobi." Shino reported.

Naruto grimaced. He never did like Shino's bugs, and the thought of them crawling all over him. "Why would you want to fix the damage done to the enemy?"

Shino kept a straight and deadpan face, "I'm not repairing their bodies. I am using their bodies to repair my own." Shino stated bluntly as he lifted up his shift and revealed a colony of bugs working overtime stitching his injured flesh back together.

Naruto coughed into his hand, "Alright, nice job Shino." the blonde said before quickly turning away from the sight.

"Naruto." Shikamaru called out with a heavy breath as he struggled to his feet, "We need to get out of here, and get to the hospital."

Naruto looked over the pineapple haired boy with a grin, "Yeah, you aren't looking that great." Naruto said with a laugh as he rubbed the back of his head with a laugh before he offered his hand.

"Not for me Naruto." Shikamaru groaned, "Think about it. Everyone we know right now is in the hospital. Hinata, Sasuke, Neji, and anyone that was injured today is going to be carted there. We have to get to them to protect them."

Hanabi stepped forward, "That is where I am going regardless of what you all decide to do. My father, sister, and cousin are in that hospital. He told me to go there after the match, and I know that he would want me at his side now more than ever."

"Hey! We shouldn't even be talking like that. We can't split up right now, not like this!" Kiba yelled as shinobi continued to battle it out across the stadium.

"We won't be splitting up." Naruto said firmly, "We know where our friends are, we have to go protect them. They would do the same for us."

The silence from the group was everyone in agreement.

"Then we should go above the stadium rather than through the stands. There are very few fighting above us." Hanabi noted as her penetrating eyes scanned the through the ceiling above.

No one had a need to question the Hyuuga's eyes. Kiba was the first to jump into action as he leapt off the side of the arena grabbing onto one of the support poles before quickly scaling his way up, "Then lets get going!" He called out as the other genin followed suit. One by one each young shinobi scaled their way up until only Ino and Naruto remained.

Ino latched onto the pole as Naruto watched defensively bringing up the rear.

"I want you to know that I'm still mad that you've ruined all of the clothes I picked out for you." Ino fired at the other blonde as she began scaling.

"Don't worry Ino, if I make it to chunin, I promise I'll spend that money on a new outfit of your choosing. I'll take better care of them this time." Naruto replied with a grin.

Ino laughed, "You ruined your clothes this fast already, who said that there was going to be a next time Naruto?" Ino teased as she scaled the remainder of the pipe.

Naruto followed quickly after as he joined the rest of them on the roof. "Well then in that case Ino, I'll ask someone else to help me buy clothes if I go on another all expenses paid trip." Naruto said with a grin as Ino's smile faltered.

"Ugh. Fine! I'll do it. You just better not mess them up this time, you hear me?" Ino stated with a grin as she pointed her finger at Naruto, "Expertise like mine shouldn't be wasted! Okay?"

Naruto returned a cheeky smile, "Oh, I'd never dream of it Ino."

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The genin quickly took off putting as much distance between them and the chunin exam stadium as possible. Explosions were going off all over the city. With their birds eye view from the stadium at the top of a hill they could see the walls of Konoha had been breached by giant snakes with yellow eyes.

The group collected together on the roof of overlooking the majority of Konoha as smoke from fires rose like columns into the air.

"Alright if we want to make it through this to the hospital in one piece, we need to change up our formation." Shikamaru stated as the group gathered around. Shikamaru was leaning on Ino for support from his earlier encounters with both Dosu and the other Sound invaders.

The group remained silent at that rather content on Shikamaru becoming the defacto leader of the group amidst the chaos.

"Wait, someone needs to get to the academy as well. Look." Naruto nodded his head to the distance. There was a smoking pillar not far from where all of the genin used to spend their days going to school.

Shikamaru's gaze fell on Hanabi, "What do you see?"

Hanabi's strained gaze locked in the direction of the Konoha Academy. "It's a straight shot to the Academy. Most of the battles are happening at the village walls, and very few shinobi are running through the city." She said as her eyes continued to scan, "Although there is a small group of three shinobi running around and starting these fires on all of these buildings."

The group seemed to adopt a deathly still stance at that analysis, the thought of people just running around literally burning their village to the ground.

"What about any academy students? Were they able to evacuate?" Naruto questioned.

Hanabi's eyes narrowed as her gaze focused further, "No, they are collected in classroom 2-B on the second floor."

Kiba scoffed, "So much for all of those evacuation drills they would make us do!"

"If those shinobi running around starting fires decide to start one on the academy, there is no way all of them will make it out." Sakura muttered.

A somber silence fell over the group at that note.

"Then what are we going to do?" Chouji asked with his voice full of trepidation.

"Well there is only two things we can do. We can all head for the hospital, and leave the academy to their fate." Shikamaru voiced. Although his tone gave away his opinion on the matter. "Or we c-"

"No. There is only one way we can do this." Naruto said quietly as his gaze fell on the academy. "Iruka-sensei is at the academy. If we were still students, we would want people to save us."

"Then we will need to split up." Tenten stated firmly as she stepped to the forefront of the group, "And we need to make a decision now. We are exposed out here and anyone that is looking can see us. If a group of shinobi with the skill of chunin find us, we're done for."

"Don't worry. I have an idea." Shikamaru stated as he crouched to his knee with his fingers brought together.

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"It has been quite some time since someone was brave enough to challenge me." the aged Hokage said as he discarded his Hokage robe. Across from him was his pale skinned former student.

"So smug Sarutobi-sensei. I wonder for how long." The pale skinned snake like shinobi said as his long tongue spilled forth from his mouth giving his lips an exaggerated lick.

"Your alliance is rooted in betrayal. The moment the sand shinobi see that you have betrayed them, they will cease to follow you."

"If you believe that Sarutobi-sensei, then you have lived your final days foolishly too content in your little cradle of power. The shinobi around the world have grown tired of your oppression. All I had to do was seek aid in your villages downfall, and countless shinobi heeded my call."

The wise Hokage chuckled to himself at his student's speech. "And once again this is but a test of our strength. A trial that we will pass just as we have passed others. If you choose to push us, you will just end up as another one of our enemies that saturate our soil."

Orochimaru scoffed, "Again with talk of your trees, and your will of fire. Soon you will realize that your strength is an illusion. That as Konoha has stagnated, others have risen to answer the call of being the greatest shinobi village in the elemental nations. I don't need to succeed Sarutobi-sensei. Know that when this is said and done that your village will no longer be at the height of the shinobi nations. Your powerful village has seen it's final day."

The old Hokage smiled, "And you Orochimaru are living yours."

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"Hanabi what is our rear looking like? Have you been able to find the shinobi starting the fires?" The pineapple haired genin asked as they jumped from roof to roof. Judging by the villages barren streets, the village had been evacuated. Although every few streets they soared over they would spot one of the unlucky laying sprawled out on the ground usually in a pool of blood.

It was difficult to stomach for the young Shinobi as they forced themselves to press on through their destroyed home. Although underneath the surface they were all hoping they weren't going to find one of their family members laying in the streets. Well most of them felt that way.

"Shouldn't we be trying to avoid crazy enemy ninja set on leaving Konoha ablaze?" Ino called out.

"We can't." Hanabi stated coolly while making another leap from the rooftop as her byakugan gaze pierced through the countless buildings.

"What do you see Hanabi?" Shikamaru called back.

"Those ninja, they're heading towards the hospital." the youngest Hyuuga heir reported. "And there is something else. They aren't shinobi of either Oto or Suna."

"Then where are they from?" Ino asked.

Hanabi frowned as her eyes focused on their distant enemy, "I don't know. But the clothes or armor they are wearing, I've never seen it before."

Shikamaru frowned as he sped up his pace to catch up to the front of the formation. "Naruto." Shikamaru said quietly as they continued their dash to the hospital. "Stay alert. This doesn't sound right."

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"She is no where to be found. At this point she may have just evacuated alongside the rest of the village." voiced the shinobi with a long purple pony tail running down his back. He had purple markings just under his eyes and a metal forehead protector of the same design as the second Hokage. "And the longer we stick around here, the closer we are to being noticed." the man spoke.

In front of him a larger and bulkier man stood with his hands laced behind his back as he stared up at the Hokage Monument. He was easily six feet tall, but he had a stocky build that pushed him to just over a couple hundred pounds. He wore a foreign armor across his chest that was full of black plates with blue trim.

"Nadare, have I ever told you how all of this started?" the large muscled man spoke calmly as he spared the pony tailed shinobi a glance.

"No sir."

"Is this your first time standing within the Hidden Leaf Village?"

Nadare spared a glance off to the side of the group as an even larger purple haired man who was considerably rounder was tossing aside a torch on another slowly burning building. "It is my lord." Nadare said as he bowed his head respectfully.

The man hummed at that note, "How fortunate you are Nadare, to have the chance to look upon such a village with fresh eyes." the man spoke as he continued to gaze upon the Hokage monument. "I never had that luxury. I first encountered a Konoha shinobi when one assassinated my father. My mother fell trying to protect the last Yukigakure shinobi."

Nadare glanced uncomfortably towards the other allied shinobi who had fallen back in line beside him. Neither knew whether they should speak. "I'm... sorry sir." Nadare stated politely while gently bowing his head to the man's turned back.

"Don't be. I was too young to do anything when my father was taken from me. Did you know that it is custom for hunter ninja to burn the bodies of their victims? I remember that night I looked out my window and saw my father burn alongside the woman he loved most by a silver haired shinobi of Konoha. For me it was that tragic event that set me on this path to bring freedom to our country."

"If that is the case, then respectfully sir I must ask, why the girl? We have already accomplished so much. Even the unification of our land by iron rail. What purpose could she possibly serve us now?"

"It isn't about the purpose that she serves Nadare. It is what she represents. My father was killed by a famous hunter ninja. That hunter ninja's son went on to rescue the princess of our country, and with her departure tied up all of our country's assets leaving our people in a barren land full of poverty. Why we are here isn't about the girl. It is about tying up loose ends. Konoha will not interfere and ruin the lives of our people any longer. No more will suffer at their hands."

The two shinobi that stood behind the large man fell silent at that. It was now clear why they were in the village, and why the girl was so important to their leader. They couldn't back out now. "Then we will follow your lead Sir. Although one last question. What shall we do with the prisoners?" the ninja asked as he gestured beside the burning building. On the ground laid an unconscious family. A father, a mother, and their young boy who couldn't have been more than eight years old.

A thoughtful look passed over the face of the muscled and armored leader. "We shall have history come full circle. Wake the boy, then burn the parents."

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"Naruto! Get down!" Hanabi yelled from the back of the formation as the blonde leapt off of the building down to the street leading to the hospital.

Naruto dove to the ground in an instant not needing to be told twice. His chest slid across the dirt streets of Konoha before the roar of a giant frozen black dragon passed over him. The dragon was massive and cold. It flew over Naruto and continued down the street as windows and doors froze from the proximity with the road being glazed in frost after it's departure.

Naruto shook his head quickly gathering his bearings before looking up to his would be attacker. Although the sight of the large round purple haired man wielding a giant mechanical arm was not what he had expected to see bearing down upon him.

Naruto rolled to the side of the road quickly as the ground shook from the shinobi's metal fist impacting on the dirt.

Naruto spun around ready with a kunai instinctively attempting to parry an oncoming counter attack. Although the man hadn't chosen to give chase. Instead he stood with his metallic arm outstretched with his other arm bracing it at the elbow.

"Naruto! Move!" Hanabi yelled her eyes focused intently on the mechanical arm of the blonde's opponent.

Naruto heard the audible clicking and grinding of gears before what sounded like an explosion as the man's mechanical arm rocketed itself forward detaching from his body.

Naruto dove to the ground once again in an instant as yet another attack soared over his head. This time the attack crashed directly into the house behind where he was standing. It ripped right through the walls and shoved furniture out of the way as it continued to pierce the building.

The moment seemed to last forever as the kunai in his grasp felt hot as he stared down the man now with only a single arm. He heard Hanabi once again yelling over the sound of combat, telling him to finish it. The thought weighed on his head as he watched the round man leap backwards and out of harms way. The metallic gauntlet ripped through the roof of the house sailing after it's owner before attaching itself securely once again on the man's arm.

"What the heck are you doing? You had him." Hanabi whispered harshly as the dragging trio reconnected with the blonde.

"Leave it alone Hanabi. We don't know anything about these shinobi. I don't even recognize the village they are from." Shikamaru stated trying to assume order.

"I know that he had plenty of time to bury that kunai three feet into that guy when he was just standing there." Hanabi said bitterly as she settled into a fighting stance.

"He would have failed." the cool voice of the muscled man carried over the frozen street. "Turn around Konoha shinobi. You face a force beyond your comprehension." the man finished coolly.

Behind him the man with a purple ponytail shifted as he assessed the situation, "Sir, if there are shinobi running around like this in the village, Konoha is pushing the enemy back. We will be found by a greater force the longer we stay."

"Are you done with the boy?" the muscled man asked aloud catching a greater attention from the Konoha shinobi.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Hanabi, and Ino all watched as the slim pony tailed shinobi stepped aside revealing the burning bodies beside the burning building. They hadn't even heard the sniveling cries of the young boy over the crackling of the fires that surrounded them.

"What have you done!" Naruto yelled in anger as he saw the crying boy, a sight that hit a bit too close to home for him. A giant wave of water formed behind the blonde in his rage.

Across from them the muscled man smirked as he flexed his black and blue armor. Then in an instant the entire area felt cold as a chilling blast flooded the area freezing the ground below the man's feet. The sheer pressure from the chakra leaking from either him or his suit had adopted a frozen property that was chilling the air.

"Naruto! We can't fight them! These are chakra levels of a jounin shinobi easily!" Shikamaru yelled, "We need to fall back."

"Then go!" Naruto fired back angrily as the whiskers on his cheeks grew thicker and feral.

"Your friend's choice is wise, child. You don't have to die today." the man said in a condescending tone. Although Naruto was hearing none of it as the whirling water behind him only served to become more frantic.

"I will never - _ever_ turn my back on people who need me!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Then you will die for your belief." The man stated coolly as a giant dragon of frost formed from the frost coming off of his armor before launching itself towards Naruto.

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Chaos had immediately taken over with the group of shinobi. A small group of genin shinobi battling against jounin class shinobi from a land that they had never even heard of was not something they were prepared for. They had launched into battle each of them calling their marks and silently praying that they could stick to them, and overcome them with their lives.

Shikamaru and Ino had taken to working together against the lankier man with the ponytail. He was quick and nimble using justu that the two had never even heard of. Although the two were able to barely hold their own with the foundations of their practiced teamwork.

Hanabi had taken the free opponent that had originally planned to send Naruto through a house. The rotund man seemed to favor taijutsu. Therefore the young Hyuuga who had yet to make genin couldn't have asked for a better opponent in such an extreme scenario. Few could best a Hyuuga in their element.

Although none of the opponents could begin to match their leader. His power seemed limitless.

Naruto continued to dodge time and time again from the dragons of frost that were continually fired his way. His knees were beginning to groan the more he tumbled around Kohoha's frozen streets. The battle was gradually pushing the blonde further and further from his teammates as Naruto dove into a nearby house. He briefly scanned for his opponent knowing full and well that he couldn't stay there long even if it gave him a moment of breathing room, otherwise his opponent would turn on his teammates.

Peering out the window he saw the man standing firm and tall with his feet braced into the ground with both of his hands outward and glowing.

Naruto cursed to himself as he barreled through the house vaulting over a couch before leaping through the window that had been across from him. It was then that two vicious frozen dragons ripped through the house sending it crashing down around them.

Naruto rolled through the recovery as water began spraying from the broken pipes in the house which he was quick to use to his advantage. He proceeded to fire bolt after bolt of water hoping to throw the larger man off balance. Although just because he was large didn't mean he wasn't agile.

A couple shots flew right by his head as he side stepped and ducked to avoid them practically ignoring half of the onslaught all together. However the shots that did his their mark didn't appear to affect the man in the slightest. A shimmer of blue energy appeared right before the man's chest armor as a great majority of the impact from the bolts of water appeared to be outright absorbed.

Although Naruto was fine with this, because apparently as long as his onslaught kept up, his opponent's declined. He couldn't allow the man to just heard him around with dragon after dragon.

The man then reached for a large and long object that was strapped to his back. It was a long pipe with a dark opening at the tip that appeared to be easily held in hand. The man turned the object towards his opponent as bolt after bolt of water continued to splash harmlessly off his shielded form.

"Naruto! Look out!" Shikamaru's voice yelled as he caught a glimpse of his friends battle fearfully.

Naruto's gaze snapped to Shikamaru who was caught up in his own battle before he found himself looking down the barrel of what could have been his death.

With a series of bangs that began firing off in rapid succession following by a cutting and whistling sound, Naruto found himself being chased around by a constant stream of kunai that proceeded to thud into the wood behind him.

The chase quickly found himself unfortunately rushing into Hanabi's area of the battle. "Get down!" Naruto commanded with a hand gesture as he dove for the girl while her opponent shielded his large form with his giant metallic arm.

Hanabi however sidestepped Naruto's dive coming towards her as she rapidly began to spin in a circle blue chakra pouring off her form. "Kaiten!" she cried out as the technique roared to life much to the surprise of the blonde.

Naruto however took that moment of freedom from the barrage to summon a handful of clones that sprang upon Hanabi's opponent. Just because Mei had taught him some new things over the course of the month didn't mean that he couldn't resort to old tactics.

The clones attacked in quick succession preparing to send the rotund man sailing into the air with a vicious kick.

Although an old tactic that was able to work on a genin in an exam was not a tactic that worked on a shinobi with real experience. The man fought back against the attacks with ease as his giant arms cleaved through the clones.

Naruto weaved in under the man's heavy strikes grabbing his arm just under his armor as he let loose a surge of chakra before jumping back out of his attack range once again. However the moment the man moved to swing again, his arm remained stiff as a rock, much to the surprise of the Hyuuga behind the blonde.

There was a moment where the two seemed to remain frozen as Naruto didn't move and the struggling rotund man couldn't move very far.

"Naruto finish him!" Hanabi yelled just as the long ponytailed shinobi jumped into the fray with her.

Naruto grimaced at the thought, the memory of Dosu replaying over in his mind.

"Naruto!"

Naruto shook his mind free and summoned a torrent of water that shot into the man with enough force to send him flying. Although before impact with the ground could be made, the agile ponytailed shinobi appeared in an instant kicking his ally in the stomach sending him flying across the ground saving him from the impact on his crown.

Hanabi took to the man with the ponytail wasting no time in her battle. Naruto realized that despite themselves the young Hyuuga was aiming for lethal blows, even if she was failing because of her inexperience. This was something Naruto realized that after his fight with Dosu may very well be something that was holding him back. He didn't want to believe that after all of his training he was so thoroughly outclassed.

The rotation of opponents and battles however promptly left one man unattended and two shinobi in the open.

"Twin Dragon Blizzard!" The muscled man yelled as two giant black dragons surged forth into the skies with a deafening roars. The twin roars were so loud that dust and frost swept away and buildings around them shook as the discarded kunai firing weapon slid away into the distance.

"Shit." Shikamaru cursed, "Everyone get out of here!" he yelled across the street as shinobi after shinobi scattered for cover behind the buildings.

As the dragons reached their peak in the sky the group was met with a near silence, all except for the muscled man's crazed laughing as the dragons began cascading downward.

Shikamaru quickly found cover for himself behind a building in the shadows, "Ino! Come on!" the pineapple haired genin called after his teammate as team ten's Yamanaka followed suit.

Hanabi didn't spare neither Naruto or the ponytailed shinobi a second glance as she darted out of the way to the opposite side of the street, her eyes keeping track of the dragons coming down from high above.

Naruto's jaw tightened as he stared down the pony tailed shinobi opposite of him that had just saved his own comrade. Mockingly the man gave a wave as he leapt backwards onto a nearby building.

Naruto scanned the streets one last time as he saw Ino rushing for cover with Shikamaru, and the streets quickly became as barren as he had first seen them.

The water wielding Uzumaki quickly pivoted before rushing to join Hanabi only for his blood to run cold at his teammate's cry.

"Ino!" Shikamaru yelled desperately.

Naruto spun back around once more to take in the sight of his friend collapsed to the ground pinned under the giant metallic arm of the rotund ninja. The man had recovered from his impact against the broken building, a lonely wire connecting his appendage to his metallic one.

Immediately Naruto summoned a burst of water behind him as the dragons came sailing down the street freezing everything in their path. Out of his peripheral vision he saw Shikamaru move to make the same dash, only for Hanabi to intercept him and forcefully bring him back into cover.

Although none of that mattered in this very moment. There was only him, Ino, and the Dragons.

Ino strained to get to her knees under the pressure of the arm pinning her to the ground. "Naruto!" Ino cried out as she reached out with her hand for help.

Naruto could feel his legs buckle as he ran faster than he had ever run in his life. His desperation to reach his friend extending his strides more than he ever should. The dirt underneath his sandals caved in under the pressure of his steps. "Ino hang on!" Naruto yelled as he closed the distance with the girl. "I got you!"

It was then that the dragons roared one more time, and their speed increased.

Naruto jumped in front to cover Ino as water began to swirl around him offering the only protection he could muster.

Then there was red.

The dragons had hit them both.

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Cliffhanger rage inc

Anyways as stated at the top of the chapter. I ended up posting pretty late today (I usually try to post Tuesdays between 12-2pm Pacific time for those that didn't know). Short story is that I lost my job on Wed a day after posting. However I pretty much got another job in 30mins, but it just had different days off, and what would have been my days off from my former job(Which is when I write a bit) I didn't get this week because of the schedule change.

So from now on until I have a more concrete schedule, I think I will be posting most likely on Wed.

So in regards to the chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. I kind of mentioned that at the beginning the story will quickly start to ramp up to full speed. Well this is what I meant. I hope you enjoy the excitement that will continue to grow for the following couple chapters.

And on another note, I love you guys. I have my own goals when I post my stories, and never thought that just mentioning my own goals of a review count and you'd all suddenly help me try and achieve that. Anyways, I just wanted to say thanks. I'll see you all next week.

(Note: Those who read Into The Darkness. A chapter wont be posted this week for the above mentioned reason.)


	8. Placing Blame

Currently at work posting this. Been working 12 hour days so writing has been put on hold. Sorry Into the Darkness fans. I am slowly working on those chapters. I have two more left for Desperation Attracts Vultures pre-written.

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Naruto rested his head on his arm leaning against a chain link fence as he squeezed his eyes shut listening to the raging battles going on throughout the village around him. The memory of the end of his most recent battle still fresh on his mind.

 _The red he had seen just as the dragons were about to overtake him and Ino. The lava._

 _Lava surrounded him in a spinning sphere of heat as he felt himself enveloped by a pair of warm arms. The lava had almost immediately turned hard as the frozen dragon slammed against the molten shield that surrounded him and his savior whose auburn hair was cascading into his own face._

 _The shield crumbled away like glass shattering as it clattered to the floor. The battle had changed in an instant. The moment the shield dropped Naruto caught sight of a boy in his late teens wielding a blade not much smaller than Zabuza's effortlessly. He had cut the cable that was attached to the man's metallic arm, and had proceeded to face off against the rotund shinobi._

 _It was here that he was able to see his savior as she pulled away, and his heart immediately warmed at the sight of Mei who said nothing as she too jumped off preparing for battle. However it was when Naruto found himself left alone from the heat of battle that he recalled his goal in the first place. His heart and his world had stopped the moment he turned around._

 _Frozen in ice in a silent scream with her hand desperately reaching outward was Ino. Naruto collapsed to his knees at the sight as tears immediately welled up in his eyes. "No! No! No! No!" Naruto repeated as his fingers dug into the ground as he felt his stomach heave in distress and remorse._

 _Ino's frozen legs had shattered from the impact of the second dragon, a shell of her former self._

 _The memory of her smile and teasing not even an hour before replayed in his mind._

" _Expertise like mine shouldn't be wasted! Okay?"_

" _Oh, I'd never dream of it Ino."_

 _The memory of the girl hand picking everything he presently wore laying frozen and dead in front of him nearly caused him to gag as he quickly found himself becoming a mess._

 _They had been two blocks from the hospital._

"Naruto, are you doing alright?" The voice of Mei softly asked from behind Naruto as she joined him at his side.

Naruto forced himself to unclench his teeth, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You know, it's okay to be upset- to be scared." Mei addressed softly as she wrapped her arm around the shorter boy's shoulders.

A scowl formed on the blonde's face as he snapped back, "I'm not afraid of anybody!" he yelled in anger at the thought of the shinobi that he had later learned from Mei had come from The Land of Snow.

"I know this can't be easy for you Naruto. However it is important to talk about our fears." Mei suggested seeing through Naruto's outburst.

Naruto grit his teeth relenting with a scoff, "Yeah, well I don't feel like talking." He said as he gripped the chain link of the hospital roof fence tighter.

"And sometimes the only way for us to heal is to take a first step, and that can often correlate with what we seek to avoid."

"You keep talking about healing, but I wouldn't need to 'heal' if you had just saved Ino! Now she is dead and-"

"What? It is my fault? It is my fault that I didn't save some girl that was an absolute stranger to me over my student? It is my fault that you couldn't get there fast enough? You can blame me for your suffering all you want, but it is not going to help you get better."

Naruto fumed at the analysis but said nothing as Mei pressed on.

"You will very likely play this incident over and over in your head questioning yourself on what might have been. However I want you to know deep down that no matter what scenario runs through your imagination, my role will never change. I will always choose you over her. And for that, you're welcome."

Naruto's expression soured, "Is that supposed to make me feel better about this?"

"No Naruto, only time is going to accomplish that. Other than that, nothing will." Mei addressed. "Although right now I do know there are a few people in this hospital thankful and happy you arrived when you did. Perhaps you should see them. Anyways I have elected to be in charge of the hospital's defenses in light of the recent attack. There aren't many more qualified, so we will continue this later."

Naruto nodded his head mutely, not wanting to continue the conversation further.

Although as his hands tightened on the fences chain link as he looked over his invaded village, Naruto knew that there was in fact something that would make him feel better.

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Hanabi sat quietly at her sister's bedside as the Hyuuga stirred from her rest. It was at this moment that Hinata sat upright quickly in a jolt rearing herself from her pillow. Hanabi quickly stood up and gently pressed a firm hand on her sister's chest easing her back into her bed, "The doctors said that you need to rest. You still haven't recovered from your preliminary match." Hanabi said tight lipped.

Hinata smiled softly, "You aren't happy that I went to the exams?" the soft spoken girl asked as she saw through her sister's tough exterior.

Hanabi frowned, "I think you should have stayed in bed. You need rest, and that couldn't have been more apparent than ever with what's happened."

"What do you mean? What's happened?" Hinata asked hearing the grave tone in her younger sister's voice.

"You could always see for yourself Hinata-sama." A cool voice spoke not far from the girl's right. In the bed adjacent to her sat upright was none other than Hyuuga Neji covered in bandages and casts.

"No, you shouldn't!" Hanabi protested to no avail as her sister quickly grasped her hands together in a familiar seal as the veins beside her eyes strained heavily.

"Oh Kami..." Hinata whispered to herself as her eyes saw the devastation that had been wrought across the village. The burned buildings, the bodies, the chaos. Everything that she had grown to know was crumbling away right before her eyes.

A single tear slowly fell and escaped from the girl's eye as she quickly wiped it away to conceal her feelings, "I needed to see this." she whispered.

"No you didn't." Hanabi said with a scowl as she leaned back in her chair folding her arms, "The doctor told you to rest. I guarantee you, _that_ is not what she meant."

Hinata gave a weak smile as the Byakugan deactivated before her eyes. Although rather abruptly her eyes suddenly darted to her sister in a panic. "Are my friends alright? Is Naruto-kun alright?"

"Why is it you find that Uzumaki boy so fascinating Hinata-sama?" Neji questioned.

Hanabi rolled her eyes both her cousin and sister, "Yes Hinata, your father and clan is safe." Hanabi mocked as Hinata shied away from her sister's disapproving gaze.

"Because Naruto-kun... he never gives up, no matter how hard things get." Hinata said quietly.

Hanabi sighed heavily at the thought of what had transpired, and what her sister had missed out on during her rest. "Naruto is fine." Hanabi said tight lipped, "He did well, just like you thought he would. He defeated Neji, and then went on to defeat Sasuke, Dosu, and I honestly doubt anything would have stopped him from taking the entire tournament at that point."

"The invasion happened?" Hinata muttered now realizing just what had prevented Naruto from securing his victory over the entire tournament.

Hanabi nodded quietly.

"So Uzumaki Naruto actually defeated not only me, but every opponent he had in the exam?" Neji addressed as he stared forward blankly at the pale hospital walls.

"Apparently he is better than you gave him credit for Neji." Hanabi suggested.

Neji pursed his lips, "Perhaps."

Hanabi smirked at the bandage covered Hyuuga. She wanted to rub it in more, but knew it would do nothing to help them in these tense times.

"Hanabi, where is Naruto-kun? Did... did he come visit me?" the girl's older sister asked shyly.

Hanabi's expression softened at the thought, "Hinata, I think Naruto needs his space right now. Something happened when we were trying to get to the hospital."

"What?"

"Well it has to do with one of your classmates."

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Naruto's head fell as he watched the sight unfold before him in the empty hallway. Just a short distance in front of him was none other than Shikamaru in the process of violently kicking and banging on a vending machine.

"I don't think putting dents in a vending machine is going to make you feel better Shikamaru." Naruto said softly as he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Shikamaru immediately shrugged out of the boy's grip, "You're right, I should just go up on the rooftop and tell off world leaders Naruto." Shikamaru snapped back angrily facing his classmate with the lightest bit of water still forming in his eyes.

Naruto's lips formed into a thin line in understanding, "I guess I'm not the bes-"

Shikamaru took a deep breath before he held up his hand, "No, you're right Naruto." Shikamaru said as he looked back into the vending machine before shaking his head. "It was Ino's favorite you know." Shikamaru said quickly tapping his fingers on the glass, "Although I could never stand pudding. I don't know how she could convince herself to eat that stuff while on a diet."

Naruto weakly smiled, "I'd fit ramen into any meal plan I made."

Shikamaru snorted, "Yeah well she would never eat _that_ much. She would swell up like a whale. I don't know how you manage it."

Naruto shrugged, "If it's not broken, don't fix it."

Shikamaru weakly smiled, "I just can't get over the fact that it's my fault." Shikamaru spoke up.

"It's not. I was the one that went to save her, and I failed her. She begged for me to save her. I wasn't fast enough." Naruto said quietly.

"I was the one leading us though. If I had chosen a different route... maybe she would still be alive."

"Or maybe she would be dead all the same." was the cool reply of none other than Hyuuga Hanabi who had just stepped out into the hallway.

Shikamaru's expression soured, "Hyuuga Hanabi, charming and tactful as ever." he drawled.

"Well I came out here to find out what was causing such a racket in a hospital outside my families room. Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised given who was involved." Hanabi said as she crossed her arms giving Naruto a pointed look.

"Hanabi, shut up." Naruto said with a scowl coming to Shikamaru's defense, "Be thankful that you have someone to visit rather than someone to mourn."

"Right, because crying about what could have been is going to make things better? You can't change the past. None of us could have predicted shinobi from Snow Country. None of us. However there are others here that want to see that you're alright if you can stop feeling sorry for yourself." Hanabi spat before gesturing with a nod towards her family's room.

Naruto's lips tightened as he looked between the door and Shikamaru as Hanabi retreated back to the room.

"Go. I'm going to see if any of the staff could use my help either with the defense or with patients." Shikamaru said quietly.

Naruto nodded his head before turning back to the vending machine. "Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto called out before the sound of shattering glass sounded through the hallway.

"What the hell Naruto!" Shikamaru cursed in surprise.

"Catch!" Naruto called out as he tossed a cup of pudding his way that was caught with a deft swiftness.

"It wasn't that serious Naruto." Shikamaru muttered as he looked at the pudding in his hand and all of the shattered glass littering the floor.

Naruto laughed as he pat Shikamaru on the shoulder, "Honestly, I doubt anyone would care today anyways Shikamaru." The blonde said as he continued on to follow the youngest Hyuuga.

Shikamaru looked down at the small cup of pudding in his hand with a weak smile before peeling the small spoon off the cap.

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"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said in surprise as she sat up in her bed hastily.

"Hinata!" Hanabi yelled forcing her sister back into the bed.

Naruto chuckled, "Hey there Hinata." Naruto said as he made his way across the room as he spared Neji the briefest glance. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright." Hinata said quietly with a smile that quickly died as the atmosphere in the room fell down once again, "I'm sorry about Ino."

Naruto nearly flinched at the name as he gave Hanabi a glance, "Right." Naruto said quietly, "Me too."

Hinata weakly smiled, "I heard you did well in the exams." she said changing the subject to a lighter matter.

Naruto smirked, "I'm sure you noticed by now that I kept my promise."

Neji on the bed beside the group snorted at the comment.

Hinata giggled with a tinge of redness on her cheeks, "Hanabi told me about them. You don't look too hurt though."

Naruto smiled, "Not that badly." _'Physically.'_ Naruto finished as an afterthought.

"I'm glad. I asked my sister to look after you, but I never expected all of this to happen."

"I doubt any of us expected this to happen Hinata." Naruto explained as he looked out the hospital window. The view was of the Hokage Monument, still pristine and untouched as any other day. However there was no doubt in his mind that everyone in the room had seen the devastation that had been wrought across the village behind them.

Hinata gently reached out and rested her hand on the blonde's shoulder giving it a light squeeze, "Naruto, Ino's death was not your fault."

Naruto scoffed, "You weren't there Hinata, you don't understand."

"Just because I wasn't there, do you believe I wasn't watching?"

Naruto looked up in a mild surprise. However the other two Hyuuga in the room with paying far greater attention to the typically soft spoken girl.

"I... I didn't realize you were." The blonde said quietly.

"I know how you feel Naruto, losing someone like that. However there was nothing you could have done." Hinata whispered as she rubbed the blonde's shoulder fighting down a rising redness in her cheeks.

Naruto sighed heavily and let his forehead rest itself on the girl's leg as he accepted the single shoulder massage. It was the first moment he had taken to rest all day. Although he didn't see the fierce red flush that the girl had been desperately fighting down rise up full force at the act.

Hanabi pursed her lips and crossed her arms as she gave her sister a pointed stare with an unspoken question between them. _'Really?'_

Hinata's face was flush and red as her heart raced ever so slightly. Although she had given her sister her own silent response in return.

' _You better not ruin this for me.'_

Although Hinata's statement was dutifully ignored as Hanabi gave a loud yawn and stretched her arms behind her head before kicking her feet up onto the bed right beside Naruto's face.

Naruto promptly righted himself as he stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders before sending a confused gaze at Hanabi.

Hinata's glare that she sent her sister on the other hand could have pierced steel.

"Naruto." Hinata spoke quietly gaining the blonde's attention once again. "I was just a little girl when my mother was taken me."

Her soft voice caught the attention of everyone in the room immediately. Although Hinata abruptly stopped as yet another Hyuuga made their presence known when Hyuuga Hiashi stepped into the room.

The Hyuuga Head had caught the eyes of all the youth in the room, although his own gaze was firmly locked on Naruto. The man's eyes then quickly darted between the members of his family appraisingly before finding Naruto's again, where he delivered a silent nod.

Naruto responded in kind.

"Please continue my daughter. Don't let my presence stop you from expressing your mind or your heart." Hiashi addressed his daughter in one of his rare tender moments.

Hinata flushed under the scrutiny but nodded her head quietly as she continued, "Uhh." She began slightly more nervous than before, "When I was a young girl Kumogakure sent shinobi to kidnap me. That shinobi nearly succeeded in his attempt, and he also killed my mother. The repercussions of that night not only hurt my family, but it also cost Neji his own. For years I felt responsible, and sometimes I still do." Hinata said quietly. Although while she was speaking directly to Naruto, the Hyuuga in room were hanging on every word.

"But over time I realized that on that night... I was just a girl. I was young and there was nothing I could do to fight a shinobi like that. Just like there was nothing you could do to fight against several jounin shinobi as genin Naruto. However I told myself I never wanted to be that weak helpless girl that lost her mother that night, never again."

The room was silent still aptly listening to the girl as she gave her final words of encouragement. "Naruto, the ninja that attacked you out there took someone from us." Hinata said softly as she grabbed the blonde boy's hand, "Just don't let them take anymore." she said as she gave his hand a squeeze, which the blonde returned in kind.

The room fell into silence after Hinata's story. She had always been a quiet girl with a large heart, and everyone in her family knew that. Although the girl had always had a difficult time expressing it as well, at least until now.

After a moment of silence Naruto was the first to speak, "Hinata. What happened to the man? The man that kidnapped you and killed your mother."

Hinata's eyes widened slightly at the line of questioning before her eyes darted to her father at the memory.

Naruto followed her gaze to the stoic Hyuuga clan head.

"I killed him." Hyuuga Hiashi spoke firmly. Although it was clear his answer was a sore spot for the youth in the room by the way they reacted. "Why do you ask?"

Naruto paused at the question unsure of what he was going for. "Did... did it make you feel better?"

Hiashi took a deep breath as the man seriously thought over the question before returning his response, "It did." the man finished firmly.

Naruto nodded his head in response before giving Hinata's hand one last squeeze, "Thanks Hinata, that was exactly what I needed to hear." The boy said as he was quick to his feet with a determined look on his face. "And thanks for looking out for me."

Hinata smiled in return, "I always have Naruto." the young Hyuuga said quietly as the blonde departed.

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Naruto sighed as he found himself sliding open another hospital patient's room before stepping through the entryway.

"Dobe."

"Teme."

And there was their greeting.

"Has Sakura shown up here?" Naruto asked his teammate casually as he walked over to the blinds as he peered out of the window. Sasuke's room resided on the opposite side of the hallway that Hinata's was on. There was no hiding the destruction that the invasion had brought from the Uchiha's eyes.

"No. She's safe. She is evacuating the academy students with the team you made. The shinobi that are invading are being pushed back." Sasuke explained as he scratched at the cast on his arm.

Naruto looked at it with a twinge of guilt, "Sorry."

Sasuke shook his head, "I deserved it."

This was how it had always been between the two of them, even under the most stressful of times. Their conversations were always short and tight lipped, sparing as few words as possible as if they were acid.

"Do you remember our fight with Haku?" Naruto asked as he withdrew the mask he had been carrying with him ever since his battles.

"Naruto if you came to rub your vic-"

"I didn't." Naruto cut the Uchiha off, "And I'm serious, what do you remember?"

Sasuke pursed his lips, "All of it."

"Do you remember what you said to me?"

Sasuke's voice gained a low tone at the line of questioning, "About my brother?" the Uchiha whispered.

"No." Naruto said shaking his head. "You told me to never give up on my dreams. You said that because you thought you were going to die."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I said I remembered Naruto. Is there a point to this?"

"My dream is to become Hokage. I said that when we were first placed on a team."

"Oh, you said it long before that Dobe."

Naruto ignored him with a small smirk that quickly died, "As Hokage I would be expected to protect everyone. Well right now, people are dying. Families are being destroyed." Naruto said as he thought back to the burning bodies and buildings. "How could I ever be Hokage if I just stood here and watched?"

Sasuke frowned, "You're a long way from being Hokage."

"And I'll never get there if I just stay here."

"In safety?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"In the Hospital?" Sasuke pried further.

"No, in content."

"Do you even know what content means?"

"Shut up!" Naruto said as he pinched his brow. "Look, the only reason I stopped here is because I wanted to ask you a favor. Or a couple favors. I wouldn't have thought of them if it weren't for speaking to Hinata just now."

"What are they?" Sasuke asked curiously at one of the rare moments where the blonde was completely serious.

"I want you to make sure you look after Sakura." Naruto explained.

The dark haired Uchiha nodded at the request. The fact that the pink haired girl had valiantly defended his unconscious body in the Forest of Death had earned his respect. "And?"

"If I die, I want you to become Hokage." Naruto finished firmly.

"What!" Sasuke uncharacteristically yelled, "You're joking right? What are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to get out there and fight! People are dying Sasuke, what would you want me to do?"

"Are you insane?" Sasuke asked coldly, "The ninja out there are completely out of your league. Remember our bell test? Zabuza? The person in the forest? Do you honestly think you stand a chance against them?"

"I saw a young boy's parents burn in the village that I swore to protect. I saw a friend of mine die right in front of me. And all of this was because foreign shinobi invaded our village and no one was there in the right place at the right time to stop them."

"Oh and so you're just going to go out there and fill that void for us? All of the gaps in Konoha's defenses are going to be filled by you?" Sasuke mocked.

"Well why not?" Naruto quipped.

"Because it's ridiculous!" Sasuke snapped. "You're going to get yourself killed."

Naruto glared at his teammate, "Look, I wasn't coming here to ask for your permission. I was asking you to become Hokage if I die, so something like this will never happen again." Naruto said coldly.

"No." Sasuke said firmly.

"What do you mean no?" Naruto repeated in surprise.

"Exactly what I said Dobe. If you don't want something like this to happen again? Then you stay alive through this and become Hokage yourself. I'm not going to carry your dreams for you." Sasuke said coolly.

Naruto glared at his black haired teammate, "But you'll look out for Sakura?" Naruto ground out.

Sasuke nodded his head silently.

"Then fine." Naruto said as he whipped around to the door.

"Naruto!" Sasuke called out making the blonde stop in the door frame. "Ino's death wasn't your fault."

Naruto fought down a scowl as he mumbled, "Yeah Sasuke, people keep trying to tell me that."

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Hanabi slid further into her chair with a sigh as her father departed from the room yet again to tend to the Hospital's defenses. The clan head had just spent a good deal of time having his own conversation with Neji in light of Hinata's own revelations of that night.

The youngest Hyuuga shifted her gaze from her older cousin who had decided to get some rest to her older sister with a frown on her face. The girl sat upright in her bed quietly with her byakugan active as her eyes darted around.

"Why do you spend so much time watching him?" Hanabi asked sourly causing her sister's cheeks to redden, although her search didn't stop.

"Because I admire him, and he doesn't have many people looking out for him." Hinata whispered back quietly as her eyes continued to scan around."

"Neither of those reasons mean you have to take it upon yourself. Or hell, draft me to do it when you're bedridden." Hanabi said coolly.

Hinata had a wave of guilt wash over her at that, "Hanabi, I didn't know this was going to happen. I just didn't want to see Naruto hurt because of a promise he made me."

"You didn't even know if he was going to keep it anyways." Hanabi quipped rolling her eyes.

"I did." Hinata explained. "Naruto-kun never goes back on his word."

Hanabi sat quietly at that. She didn't feel the need to argue with her sister's desire to see the Uzumaki boy happy. "Whatever, if you say so. Although I'm pretty sure he is just an idiot that doesn't know when to run away."

Hinata smiled, "He never gives up."

A silence fell over the two as Hinata continued her search with her gaze. Although gradually her eyes began to narrow further and further as she continued her search. "Hanabi..." Hinata began quietly, "Can you see Naruto-kun?"

Hanabi raised an eyebrow briefly at the question before her byakugan activated in an instant without a need for seals. Her eyes darted around far faster than Hinata's when she was searching.

"I can't find him in the hospital. I thought he would be visiting Sasuke, or he would be with Shikamaru right now... but I can't find him." Hinata began in worry, "And my eyes can't see much further than a couple blocks around here."

Hanabi nodded quietly knowing that her sister's byakugan was easily the weakest among the Hyuuga that had visited the room today. It was evident by her need to use seals to active her birthright in the first place. "I'm looking." Hanabi said quietly as her eyes scanned out far further across the village.

"What if it's my fault? What if what I said caused him to leave?" Hinata worried.

"What? Don't be ridiculous. Only an idiot wou..." Hanabi's words fell off as she realized who they were talking about, "I'm sure he's fine, and we just looked over him." Hanabi said as she continued her search now several blocks out.

"What if what father said made him want to go back out? To get revenge?"

Hanabi stayed silent as she found herself searching further and faster.

Silence fell over the two of them as Hinata deactivated her own bloodline and carefully watched Hanabi's gaze as her eyes darted around with expert precision.

Hanabi's search continued for no longer than a minute more, but for the young genin patiently awaiting her younger sister's discovery, it took ages. Immediately the young Hyuuga's eyes widened despite staring ahead blankly. Although it was an expression that the Hyuuga knew all too well.

"Where is he?" Hinata asked quickly in a panic.

Hanabi shook her head quickly as if snapping out of a trance, "He is going to get himself killed!" Hanabi yelled as she jumped to her feet.

"What!" Hinata yelled frightened.

"He's found himself another snow ninja!"

Hinata grit her teeth painfully as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, "Which direction is he in?" Hinata breathed out in pain as she stared her sister down.

Hanabi could only stare at her sister in shock, "But you're injured... there's no way..."

"Where is he!" Hinata cried.

Hanabi stared at her stunned as she muttered, "He's... at the grocery two blocks from the Yamanaka flower shop."

Hinata nodded as forced herself up from the hospital bed. "Don't tell father."

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XXXXXX

 **Moments before blocks away from the hospital**

A piercing scream heard from the rooftop of the Hospital finalized Naruto's decision as he leapt off the roof to give chase. There would be no other destroyed families on his watch inside of Konoha.

Naruto rushed into the streets crashing down in a wave of water on his landing as he followed the screams that lead him to his destination. He didn't even waste a second as he burst through the window of the grocery store shattering the glass in a swirling tide coming to the defense of one of the invasion's many victims.

Across from the victim had been a sound shinobi with a leering grin. Although that grin had quickly faded as a tidal burst launched full force into him sending him flying into a isle of groceries. The effect was immediate as stand after stand of goods proceeded to fall over on top of the unfortunate sound shinobi.

Naruto spun around quickly to take a look at the said victim, "Are you alright?" However the eyes that greeted him were not those that he expected.

"Naruto?" the girl repeated in shock at the circumstances as she brushed her purple asymmetrical hair out of her face revealing her light brown eyes.

"Ami Yoku?" Naruto repeated equally surprised. The girl was dressed in a standard grocery store clerk's outfit, and she had been cowering down under one of the checker's stands. Although the scared and fearful look was not something the blonde expected to find on the girl's face from memory. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just showing up for my shift at the store! And then all of a sudden explosions were going off everywhere, and no one was here! I tried to go outside but then all of these ninja started running around, and buildings were being burned! I... I..." The girl began as she quickly found herself in a panic.

Naruto crouched down as he further took in the sight of the girl in front of him. This was not the same girl he remembered from his memories in the academy and the orphanage.

" _Forehead Girl. You look like you are having fun today."_

" _You look like you've been trying to make yourself better recently, not that it could help."_

Naruto sighed, "What happened to you Ami? I didn't think you were afraid of anyone." Naruto said quietly with a smile.

Ami huffed as she shuddered at the sound of the distant violence outside, "And everyone thought you were the dead last in the academy Naruto. Apparently things aren't always what they seem I guess." Ami mocked with a scoff.

A clang of a stray shurkin rebounding off the metal on the roof tops outside caused the young girl to flinch.

Naruto let out a deep breath as he reached into his pouch and withdrew a kunai, "If I give this to you, do you think you can get to the hospital or another evacuation site safely?"

Ami looked at the kunai in silence with a bit of trepidation in her eyes. "How can the hospital be safe in an invasion life this Naruto? Two countries are attacking us. I can't make it to the evacuati-"

"The Mizukage is defending the hospital." Naruto explained firmly as Ami stilled.

"The Mizukage?" the purple haired girl repeated in surprise.

Naruto nodded.

"Why?"

"Ami." Naruto stated firmly, "Can you make it?"

"I'm not sure." The girl explained. "With shinobi like him running around." She girl gestured with her head to the sound shinobi unconscious under a mountain of shelves and groceries. "And he's not even the worst of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Shinobi from the land of snow have been running around and burning people alive." Ami explained as Naruto adopted a dark look.

"Do you know where they went?"

Ami looked surprised at the sudden shift in Naruto's tone, "I don't know. I just saw the ones that were on foot run by here not long ago, one of them was pretty injured. I just hid in my stand by the door."

Naruto's expression however grew confused, "What do you mean the ones on foot?"

"You mean you didn't see her outside the building?" Ami whispered in a hushed tone.

"Her?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

"Yeah! The one that is flying out there."

"Flying? That's not possible." Naruto muttered incredulously as he stood up to look toward the window.

"No don't!" Ami immediately yelled as she rushed after Naruto and dove for him.

Immediately the formerly shattered windows were pierced with giant spikes of ice as a kunai impacted in the ground right in front of the building.

"Why do you think I haven't left!" Ami yelled angrily.

"Ami do you have your weapons somewhere?" Naruto asked quickly as the both scrambled back further into the grocery store.

"Yeah, in my closet at home! In case you forgot Naruto, I failed along with most of the class. I didn't get to become a shinobi like the rest of you guys. Neither did Tobio."

Naruto frowned at the last memory he had of Tobio before he graduated and became a genin. The boy had bumped into him and caused him to kiss Sasuke. Although beyond that he had grown to be an unremarkable far cry from the boy he was in their childhood. "Right." Naruto said neutrally. "Well we can't stay in here, we need to find a way out of here. Is there a back door?"

"It's blocked off."

"With what?"

Ami gestured with her head to the numerous ice spikes that pierced the front of the store.

Naruto's eyes scanned the store in slow motion as his brain began working at a million miles a minute. "Why you?" Naruto repeated quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Why is this snow ninja after you? If all of her people left, why is she staying just to attack you?"

"I don't know Naruto? Maybe it is because we are being invaded?"

Naruto gave the girl a deadpanned stare that said all it needed to making the former academy student shrink back. "That's not it." Naruto muttered as he approached a blind spot in the room with a tiny reflective debri in hand to catch sight of the circling snow shinobi.

" _Look underneath the underneath Naruto."_

Naruto repeated the words Kakashi had told him during their bell test over in his head.

"Get over here." Naruto said as he closed his eyes and made two shadow clones.

Ami scurried over to Naruto's side in surprise. "I thought you couldn't make a clone."

"Like you said, things change." Naruto said as one of the clones quickly shifted in appearance to the look of Ami.

Immediately the two clones gave chase. The Ami clone left the building first through the front door, with the Naruto clone following shortly after the girl with a kunai in hand.

Immediately a barrage of flying needles showered down piercing into the Naruto clone. Naruto silently hoped that the amount of chakra pumped into the technique would keep the clone around for at least a few seconds more.

Ami's clone fell to the ground in a familiar scream as she backpedaled and scurried away from the rain of kunai.

Naruto frowned as he watched the snow shinobi in the sky dive downward to engage the Ami clone.

"Any reason she doesn't plan to just kill you outright?" Naruto whispered suspiciously.

Ami however looked equally shocked and surprised as she looked in the reflective mirror the blonde held. "How the hell should I know?"

Naruto however realized the moment the snow shinobi reached the ground and started approached the screaming Ami clone, he didn't care. "I'm going to go take her on while she is on the ground. Get out the back and make it to an evacuation site quickly." Naruto said coolly as he looked at the snow shinobi headcover resting firmly atop her pink hair.

Ami smiled gratefully in thanks, "Naruto, after all of these years you have changed so much, and yet still not changed at all. You're where near as bad as Sakura or Ino used to proclaim."

Naruto felt his heart tighten at the girls name, "Just be careful Ami."

And with that, Naruto charged into battle intent on getting the jump on the pink hair shinobi from the Land of Snow.

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Naruto rushed up behind his opponent swiftly and silently as he grabbed onto the metallic wings that clung to the back of her suit.

"What!' She screamed in shock as she immediately felt herself being pulled from behind barely getting the chance to look over her shoulder. The clone posing as Ami in front of her dispelled as the pink haired shinobi was violently flipped from behind.

Naruto sent her driving head first into Konoha's ruined street as the wings screeched uncomfortably as gears attempted to grind at impossible angles.

The wings began to shutter violently in the blonde's grip as he held onto a stretching wing for dear life.

"Child, it will take more than that to take on a shinobi of the land of snow." the pink haired woman spat as a wave of chakra surged from her armor violently.

Naruto grit his teeth painfully as the sheer force of the surging chakra shred the fabric of his sleeves as he held onto a single wing with his knuckles turning white. "I know, and I'm counting on it." Naruto said as he placed his foot on the pink hair girls back before giving a violent tug at the snapping device.

The pink haired shinobi took the brief moment of freedom as the wing snapped off her back as she swept out with her legs to knock the blonde off his feet.

The attack however was anticipated as the Konoha genin hopped over the sweep. Although the act gave the girl before him more than enough room to breathe in their battle.

She lashed out with a kunai that had a tiny round blue crystal attached to the end with a single string.

Naruto met the clash with a kunai of his own as he stared down the condescending smirk of the pink haired shinobi.

"I hope realize how out of your league you are." she taunted.

"Your people killed one of my friends." Naruto said coolly.

Her smirk could only increase, "We killed more than just your friends today."

Naruto scowled as he surged forward with as much strength as he could muster sending the pink haired girl off balance all the while she was laughing.

"What did I strike a nerve there blondie?"

"Your boss is going to pay for what he did."

The pink haired shinobi smirked, "Maybe, but not by you." She said as she let loose the kunai with the blue crystal trailing behind it.

Naruto jumped out of the path of the Kunai only for column after column of icy spikes to shoot forth from the ground fully intent on making a kabob out of the young Uzumaki.

The pink haired shinobi retreated to a nearby rooftop landing gracefully as she reached behind her and gripped her remaining wing and forcefully bending it across the middle of her back. "Well that looked like it could give a chill." the woman mocked as she let her gaze follow down the road, "Although it looks like our time here is finished."

Naruto glared up at the pink haired shinobi as he distanced himself from the ice columns. Following the woman's gaze he saw a lone sound shinobi wearing a dark vest rushing his way.

"You're going to run?" Naruto asked coldly as the pink haired woman adopted a saucy smirk.

"No blondie, I'm going to fly." She quipped as the metallic object strapped to the center of her back glowed brightly as she caught wind like a kite soaring high into the sky.

"We're not finished!" Naruto yelled out as a pool of water formed along his arm which he shot out after the pink haired woman. Although his attack was interrupted by a kunai that cut through the stream of water causing it to fall apart.

Naruto quickly ducked as the Sound Shinobi sailed overhead with a kick that skimmed across the hairs on top of his head.

Naruto spun around on his heels as he came face to face with the sound shinobi. The man had his arms outstretched with a metal sound engine similar to Dosu's poised at the young genin.

Naruto quickly attempted to erect a sphere of water around himself.

He was too slow. The giant sound waves buffeted against him blowing the water away with a concussive force as the streets dust kicked up and building windows shattered.

Naruto was stuck upright in a silent scream in the vacuum as he tried to combat the force with sheer willpower while his nose began to bleed. His eyes squeezed shut in the pain as his ears began to ring. Then all of a sudden the force applied to his body stopped.

"...Arut... Naru... Naruto! Are trying to get yourself killed?" came the young girls screams as the ringing fled the blonde's ears.

Naruto opened his eyes squinting in pain as he watched the familiar Hyuuga girl finishing off the sound shinobi she had gained the jump on.

The dark haired girl had expertly sweeped the man at the legs sending the sound engines waves into the air as his arms flailed about. She then quickly delivered a palm downward square in the man's forehead sending him into a blissful unconsciousness.

Naruto coughed into the streets as spots of blood painted the dirt beneath him. "You're out here too Hanabi, for the same reasons I am." Naruto remarked as he weakly grinned at the long haired Hyuuga. Although to the blonde's surprise someone grabbed him from under his armpit and hoisted him onto his feet.

"She isn't the only one." a familiar voice said that was drowned out by Hanabi's complaint.

"To save your life? Again!" Hanabi yelled.

"Sasuke?" Naruto questioned in surprise ignoring Hanabi as he found his gaze looking upon the Uchiha with his arm in a sling, and the pineapple haired Nara standing not far behind him, "Shikamaru?"

"Let's make sure no more of our friends die today."

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Anyways I am not sure if this chapter I proof read or not. I just wanted to get a chapter posted on Tuesday even though I was working. I hope you are all enjoying where the story is heading, and the direction. Not sure if you are all surprised or not by the turn of events. Some people are worried or upset Naruto isn't a killing machine taking lives over and over. However one of the things I really wanted to touch on was that Naruto is not a killer. He never has been throughout the entire series. In order for a character to change, the circumstances need to change, the things he faces need to change. This is the beauty of fanfiction. The ability to change the circumstances that change a character's outlook is a powerful and exciting thing.

So with that said. I won't spoil the direction in which our Naruto will take in this story. I won't tell you the path he is going to choose. However just know that this is a Naruto that has been taken from his canon self and gradually forced to change by the events and people that have surrounded him. The tragedy he faces and the forces he needs to overcome. The struggle of right and wrong/good and evil. Questions of morality and differing ideals are great ones, but they are not resolved over night.

This story was never designed to be a short one. In fact this story was never initially designed to have an end. The story was made in my mind to be like a season of television. Each season has a beginning, a middle, and a resolution(usually with a little bit of hinting at what is to come). I wanted to accomplish the same here.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I have loved reading your reviews. I will see you all next week.


	9. Sky Fall

Sorry for the late post. This new job has me working pretty much 60 hour weeks. I honestly just fall asleep when I get home. Thankfully this chapter is longer than the rest of them. I don't know if I am really all that happy with it having looked back on it. However it accomplishes what I needed it to.

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"Sasuke?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise as he was pulled to his feet. Just behind the dark haired Uchiha was the pineapple haired Nara clan member, "Shikamaru?" the blonde muttered his surprise continuing. "What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing Naruto! How many times must I save your life?" Hanabi fired off red faced as she approached the group leaving the unconscious sound jounin bound behind her.

Naruto hung his head, "Why did you have to go and do that." the blonde mumbled.

"Save your life?" Shikamaru asked incredulously.

"No." Naruto dismissed with his hand, "Why did you have to let _her_ do it." Naruto explained in exasperation.

Sasuke snorted at the comment, "Well it's obvious you had no idea, but we were busy. Look up there." Sasuke pointed with his free arm. The Uchiha was still wearing his hospital cast slung across his chest, but now his only moving arm was sporting it's own series of cuts.

Naruto's own gaze slightly narrowed at the sight of Sasuke's injuries before following where he was pointing.

"You were about ten seconds from being surrounded if we hadn't stepped in." Sasuke explained.

"I wouldn't give him more than five." Hanabi quipped causing the blonde to groan.

"Why aren't you with your sister?"

Hanabi put her hands on her hips as she haughtily spoke, "Because my sister was ready to hop out of bed with her injuries just to try and save your life. I had to knock her unconscious to stop her! And all for what? So you can play hero?"

"No! So that no one else has to die today. No more friends. The people that live here. Shinobi of Konoha. No one!" Naruto rattled off passionately.

"Really? Because it seems like every friend you have is content in following you into this madness! Look aroun-"

"I didn't ask for any of you to follow me!" Naruto fired back angrily as the two faced each other in an argument.

"And Naruto you'll never have to. You may be an idiot-"

"Thanks."

"And you'll probably never become Hokage." Sasuke continued.

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance.

"But you are without a doubt the most surprising and unpredictable shinobi I have ever met, and you're my teammate. I'm wasn't going to let you face this alone."

"Well it sure didn't sound like that."

"Well, that didn't mean I wasn't going to try and talk you out of doing something stupid first."

"Oh how nice of you." Naruto grumbled as he shrugged out of the Uchiha's grip. "A member of the noble Uchiha clan come to save the day?"

"Well someone has to." Shikamaru quipped with a smirk.

"What!" Naruto snapped to Shikamaru's amused features, "Not you too Shikamaru?"

The pineapple haired genin chuckled lightly as Sasuke smirked at the blonde. "Come on Naruto. Neither you, or Sasuke is going to save the day. We're all just here so we don't have to lose another friend today."

"Hey! Friend?" Hanabi remarked.

Shikamaru shrugged, "Well, most of us anyways. Or at least a misplaced loyalty to our family members."

"Great." Naruto drawled, "You saved me. So I guess we are going back to the hospital?"

"What? Already tired of your heroics Naruto?" Sasuke teased.

"Just your company Sasuke, as usual." Naruto fired back earning another smirk from the dark haired boy.

"Well if we are all going to just stand around here in the open like sitting ducks, I'm going to go. I saved your life, like my sister wanted. Although I'm not going to stand around tempting fate today. Don't die on your way back, my sister wants to see you are alright." Hanabi finished as the veins around her byakugan strained as her eyes scanned around for threats.

"By your leave princess." Naruto mocked gesturing back towards the Hospital's fenced roof still visible in the distance.

Hanabi adopted a sour scowl as she glared heatedly at Naruto as she retreated back to the hospital. She quickly gestured her fingers two fingers to her eyes before poising them at Naruto silently saying 'I'm watching you.'

Naruto returned a single finger in kind earning a snort from Shikamaru.

"Well she isn't very charming, but she was right. We are way too exposed right here." Shikamaru addressed.

Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah." Naruto said motioning for the two to follow him quickly into the cover of the back of the grocery store.

"So when did that happen Naruto? Did your little lucky victory over me earn you a fan?" Sasuke mocked.

"Not at all Sasuke, your collection of numerous fans remains untouched."

"Well like I said, they wouldn't abandon ship because you had a bit of luck today."

"Oh well you misunderstand me Sasuke, I just want you to have to see as many Princess Gale movies as possible." Naruto quipped.

"You like Princess Gale?" Shikamaru voiced in amusement.

Sasuke paled, "Hey, Naruto I wasn't serious about that."

"Really, you wouldn't have me tell you how I beat Neji?"

Sasuke remained silent.

"That's what I thought. Don't worry, I'll let you stop buying popcorn for your dates after the... 8th time?" Naruto said in thought.

"Oh I don't know Naruto, I think it should at least be fifteen. Sasuke is rich after all. A whole district full of real estate that he never uses."

"Shut up, both of you." Sasuke said snappily, "And I don't have fifteen girls that have crushes on me." he firmly added.

"I'm sure I could find some." Naruto remarked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Fine. While you do that I'll start off by taking Sakura- _chan_ to the first movie."

Immediately Naruto's head snapped back to Sasuke, "Hey!"

"I mean she is rather cute, and I think-"

"No! I decide the dates!" Naruto quickly proclaimed.

"Oh well you just said any girl that has a crush on me Naruto, not the order."

Naruto inhaled deeply as he growled out,"Teme..."

"Dobe." the Uchiha fired back easily.

"It's alright Naruto, you can just take Hanabi. After all she has seemed to have an awfully vested interest in your wellbeing."

"I'd rather drink hot candle wax. I don't even know how that family happened. Hinata is so nice, and her family is full of sh-"

Naruto was abruptly silenced as Sasuke latched a hand over his mouth, his red eyes piercing through the shadows they resided in.

Not long after as the trio stood silently in the shadows a team of four sound ninja in their dark flak jackets ran across the rooftops.

Shikamaru was the first to breathe a sigh of relief as they went unnoticed by the sound shinobi overhead. "Call her what you will, but she was right. It's not safe out here, and we are exposed, no matter where we hide."

"Not to mention Sasuke went ahead and got his other arm injured." Naruto fired bluntly.

Sasuke scoffed at the blonde, "Just my arm, not my life Dobe."

Naruto shrugged, "Then we can go back."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed slightly at that, "Just like that?"

"Yeah, why?" The blonde questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"You just went along with that rather easily."

"Well it's not like I want to be the reason you die. I don't need you following me around. I'd end up feeling responsible." The blonde finished bluntly.

Sasuke smirked and patted the blonde on the shoulder, "You know Naruto, I think this is the first time ever that you haven't wished me dead."

Naruto scoffed, "Oh you Sasuke? I was talking to Shikamaru." The blonde quipped earning a shove from the Uchiha. "Anyways follow me, I know the best way back to the hospital. I'll just go scout ahead really quick and then double back to get you."

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"We need a medic!" Asuma's loud yell cut through the entire hospital lobby as the tiles beneath the groups feet cracked under the high speed transportation technique. The former guardian was standing tall as he supported Yuhi Kurenai at the waist who was struggling to stand. Although she didn't show the worst of the groups injuries.

"Tell me what happened now!" A young dark haired female said as she rushed forward with tying her bandana around her hair tighter, her eyes steely and ready to get to work.

"Oyone!" Gai addressed quickly taking note of the woman as Konoha's beast rested his companion down on the stretcher that was quickly provided. "We have been in combat with the nukenin Uchiha Itachi, and Hoshigaki Kisame. Kakashi suffered several injuries from a short blade during his battle with Itachi before we were forced to retreat when Kisame had the opportunity to attack Kakashi's exposed back with his blade Samehada, a blade which shreds rather than cuts." Gai quickly reported as the group moved along, Oyone steering the stretcher yelling at others to get out of her way.

"He is suffering major blood loss beyond simply knowing his wounds are serious, the amount of blood is making it impossible to know how serious!" Oyone reported before she quickly began barking out orders to the group.

"You need to focus on sealing the wound made to his lower abdomen. His other wounds presently are superficial by comparison. Without medical assistance there he isn't going to make it, period." The outsider in the group reported.

"And who are you?" Oyone barked.

"Ao. One of Mei Terumi's private guard. And I suggest you take my advice. I guarantee you that my vision is better than anyone presently conscious in this room." The dark blue haired hunter ninja spoke, his own fatigue present on his features.

Oyone appeared to move to protest, however Asuma waved a hand to dismiss the notion, "Do as he says. We wouldn't have made it out of the fight earlier without his insight, and no one knows Samehada's wounds better than him."

Oyone didn't dispute it any further as her hands glowed green and she quickly took to work desperately trying to save one of Konoha's top jounin.

It couldn't have been a couple minutes before the auburn haired Mizukage quietly stepped into the room.

"Mizukage-sama!" Ao was quick to announce as the man snapped straight to attention.

Although the woman's introduction did prompt weary stares from the remaining Konoha shinobi and a distracted glance from Oyone.

Mei gave the Konoha Shinobu a once over as she found her attention keenly focused on the red eyed beauty. "Here, let's give this woman some space. While I'm not at her level of skill, I can provide you the assistance your wounds need Yuhi-san." Mei stated as she held the door open beckoning the others to follow her out.

Ao followed the woman's suggestion without hesitation while the other remaining Shinobi followed with trepidation in their step.

It was soon that the group found themselves in another hospital room as Kurenai sat on a table in front of the Mizukage with her companions gathered around. Although the tense and heavy silence as the Mizukage worked seemed to put the group on edge.

"Mizukage-sama, I sensed Choju-"

"What the fuck were all of you thinking?" The Mizukage spat angrily as her stern gaze found itself on all of the Shinobu gathered in the room. "Taking on the Akatsuki like any of you have the skills necessary to contest them."

"The Akatsuki? These were the missing ninja Uch-"

"I know very well who they are. The fact that you don't and yet still tried to oppose them is utterly foolish. Did you think their cloaks with red clouds were geared for stealth? Or a fashion statement? Did any of you ever consider that some of the most notorious missing ninja in the world working in uniformity might be something beyond you?"

"Are you suggesting that a group consisting of the world's greatest criminals exists and we have no knowledge of it?" Gai questioned calmly, the only one from the group looking not too worse for wear.

"I'm not suggesting it. I am telling you that they exist. When I heard that your group encountered two of their members I was expecting to be counting fatalities, not treating your fortunate wounds. You are lucky that the two of them decided to go easy on your group."

"Go easy on us? They nearly killed us!" Asuma fired back angrily, "We only survived because we were able to force them to retreat!"

"Retreat? Your friend is barely hanging on with his severe wounds, and Yuhi-san can't stand on her own two feet. I don't know the capabilities of your Uchiha Itachi, although I know of his reputation for killing his entire clan in a single night. Becoming an Anbu captain at thirteen years old. I believe the young man's feats only scrape the surface of his true skill. Although your other opponent, Kisame, I know that man better than many. He has more chakra than everyone residing in this room combined." Mei stated bluntly with a deadly serious face.

The statement had prompted the Konoha shinobi's eyes to dart to the lone sensor that stood positioned behind his leader.

Ao gave a nod, "As a sensor you are able to judge the amount of chakra a person has, but the act isn't precise like a scale. It's more so that you can compare the amount of chakra other people have and by experience deduce how much chakra a person has within them."

"If that is the case, then how is it possible you can truly tell the amount of chakra this Kisame has?"

"During the rebellion Kisame fought alongside us for a time as well as several other seven shinobi swordsman. Naturally our opponent at that time was Yagura..." Ao stated before falling silent as he paused his tale as he glanced at the Mizukage for permission.

The woman nodded quietly as the story continued.

"He was our jinchuriki for Sanbi. Kisame appeared to have had chakra levels comparable to Yagura's-"

"With the capacity to absorb far more." Mei cut off the remainder of the story, "I have seen him absorb chakra from all sources, turn deserts into oceans, and physically overpower the strongest of foes while having suiton ninjutsu to rival the greatest of practitioners. This isn't even counting the man's prowess in kenjutsu. A man who killed a division of our own shinobi he was sworn to protect in order to protect a secret." Mei said coolly.

Kurenai had a sour expression as her wounds from the former mist shinobi's blade were healed by the woman in front of her. "Sounds like you admire him."

"How can I not? Back then he was my vote for the next Mizukage." Mei said quietly finishing her healing.

Asuma looked slightly amused at that, "No faith in your own abilities?" which quickly gained the man an elbow to the ribs from Gai.

Mei politely laughed, "Actually, not really. Not then at least. Although war will either bring out the worst or the best in people. Every shinobi in the Mist has learned that."

"It's hard to imagine how devastating a war can be when it is merely a civil one. Can't be worse than the last war." Asuma remarked as he chewed lightly on the butt of his unlit cigarette.

The remark earned him a painful foot stomp from Gai causing the Sarutobi to grimace.

"Is it?" Mei asked kindly with a raised eyebrow. "How much of your village have you seen since your battle outside of it? Perhaps you can go to the window and take a look." The Mizukage suggested to the far window of the hospital room.

The Konoha shinobi made their way to the window, even Kurenai with the helpful assistance of the Mizukage.

The amused expression that the Sarutobi had formerly held quickly adopted the grave one that had been held by his other companions.

"I suppose Konoha will retaliate once you recover your bearings. Go either deep into the deserts to seek justice against Suna? Or perhaps locate Oto and remind them why they are not one of the great shinobi villages?" Mei questioned aloud. "Although imagine if that retaliation occurred once again on your own soil? Not an outside force destroying your home, and you in turn going to destroy theirs. Imagine your neighbor burning your home to the ground so you can't burn his first. Then you can understand our war and what our people went through." Mei stated coolly as she too looked upon the flames that were burning the village in the land of fire to the ground.

Gai was quiet as he spoke, "I am curious about one thing Mizukage-san. Your people may have gone through war, but how do you know so much about the Akatsuki?"

"Our people may have gone through war Maito-san, but we were outmanned and hilariously out armed. The only opportunity we had was to obtain as much information as we could in order to survive, and weed out the unloyal. The mercenary group the Akatsuki was small at the point they were interfering, with only a third of their members at the time. Although that didn't make them any less powerful. It is rare to see more than two of them in one place like today with three of them are attacking your village."

"Three of them? We only encountered two of them."

"Your Hokage battles the third."

"Orochimaru?"

The woman nodded, "Which is why we can't let them accomplish their goal of either destroying your village or capture your jinchuriki as they have others."

Although genjutsu mistress was not one for illusions, "And what do you want with Naruto?" the red eyed woman asked pointedly.

The Mizukage remained silent as the hospital door behind them on the opposite end of the room burst open.

"Where's Kakashi? We need his help!" the dark haired Uchiha called out as he leaned against the pineapple haired Nara for support.

Mei's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the familiar genin. "Where's Naruto?" She asked coldly.

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"Oh Kami! Please stop! Gaara! Please listen to me! I'm your sister!" The blonde haired girl cried frantically in the shadow of the colossus before her. The giant beast made of sand and tattoos however didn't appear to be phased by her cries. "Kankuro! Help me!" the blonde girl continued as she desperately stretched her arm for her fan lying discarded on the ground beside her.

The young brown haired suna shinobi however wasn't faring much better as he frantically controlled a puppet before him that was slicing and dicing waves of sand that were repeatedly thrust his way, "I'm trying!" he yelled equally panicked.

The great sand demon continued it's assault on the two suna shinobi without hesitation as they were steadily pushed onto their last legs.

Temari felt her breath leaving her as her body was steadily crushed under the weight of the sand that continued to climb up her torso dead set on ensnaring her neck.

"Your brother sure got uglier as he grew bigger." A voice called from the girls right before she heard the sound of metal being forcefully bent and pulled apart.

"You!" Temari gasped painfully as a wave of water washed over here and practically drowned her before the sand covering her body lost its form and began sinking to the forest floor freeing the young suna shinobi.

"Me." Naruto remarked as he held the destroyed halves of the girl's fan before throwing them through the air like sharpened disks at the brown haired boy's defense. One of the disks sliced right through the puppet's arm as the other slammed into its torso rendering the animated wood immobile.

The brown haired boy appeared rather startled by the act. Although it served to draw the great beast's attention far more.

High above the trees the voice echoed into the forest floor "Uzumaki..." Gaara's voice reverberated through the ground and the trees.

"Get out of here, I don't have time for you. If you know what's best for you, you'll turn yourself in to the first Konoha Shinobi you see."

"You are seriously going to fight my brother? Are you just blind or are you insane. Whatever bits and pieces of him that are left in him right now, they won't spare you like they did me. Shukaku will kill you."

Naruto said nothing as he held his gaze firmly on the one tailed beasts whose yellow eyes were staring straight through him. Although the blonde Uzumaki refused to show any fear.

Temari found herself on her feet sparing a glance at the monster that was her brother. "And Naruto. If you are given the opportunity, please spare my brother."

Naruto shook his head, "Don't worry. I'm not a killer."

"Boy..." Rumbled the great demon from above as sand began flying towards the blondes. "You will have to be!" Shukaku screeched as sand plummeted down on top of the blonde shinobi's.

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"What the fuck do you mean a clone was sent back with you? How the hell did he manage that?" Mei cursed at the startled genin. "I told him not to leave the hospital in the first place! What were you even doing out there?

Both Shikamaru, and to his credit even Sasuke seemed to shrink a bit under the woman's scrutiny. "The three of us went off to go find Naruto when we saw him l-"

"So there were three of you?" Mei returned loudly, her temper flaring higher as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Who? Please don't tell me that you were so stupid to get another one of your friends killed. After all you were already handicapped." Mei finished as she gestured to Sasuke.

"Hanabi was with us." Shikamaru provided.

"Hanabi?" Kurenai stated in surprise immediately knowing of the girl. "Why was Hanabi going after Naruto? Hiashi would never allow such a thing."

"Hanabi said that she spotted Naruto going back out into the village, and Hinata was going to follow him to look after him and keep him safe. However with her injuries she barely made it out of the bed before Hanabi rendered her unconscious."

"But why? Why would she risk her own life for him? I doubt they have ever spoken outside of today." Kurenai questioned with a frown.

"She said that her older sister had asked Hanabi to look after Naruto because she felt he needed someone to do so."

Mei gave a snort, "Well at least that was true before my arrival."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Asuma poised with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly what I said. Let's face it, every child in that exam today had someone to turn to. However without me, and his sensei absent with another student, Naruto would have ended up as some forgettable round one loser to a Hyuuga prodigy. With my help he was able to make a name for himself."

"And you are quite proud of that Mizukage-san?" Kurenai pressed sourly before Gai stepped in.

"We are getting off base here. Where is Hanabi Hyuuga?"

The genin in question both straightened up no longer watching the banter. "She went on ahead of us to return to her sister."

"Then I do believe we should hope that she made it back less Konoha desires so find a Hyuuga clan forged outside of it's walls."

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"You think you can hide in the shadows?" Shukaku's voice bellowed as sand surged from the forest floor. "Hide from me?" The beast's screamed.

Naruto fled up the giant trees of the forest as a wave of sand was licking at his heels. Every step mattered as he pushed chakra into every step silently praying that it would propel him just far enough to allow him to survive just a moment longer.

"Who said I was hiding?" Naruto yelled back as he let loose a handful of kunai with exploding notes trailing behind them at the one tailed demon.

The massive arm of the tanuki shifted before him as the kunai stuck into the beast's sand covered flesh. The explosions rocked the area blanketing it in smoke as leaves were blown off trees.

A deep rumbling chuckle carried itself through the wind and shook the foundations of the forest floor. "Is that all?" the demon asked with the distinct sound of sand falling to the floor as it cascaded from his teeth. "Well I am disappointed."

Naruto hid with his back pressed up against a tree as he let out a heavy breath as he gently clenched and unclenched his fists as he tried to remain calm. _'Come on Naruto...'_ the blonde told himself.

Immediately the tree the blonde was protected by was blown apart as a torrent of sand crashed against the tree nearly grinding it all away in an instant.

Naruto cursed as he dove down to the forest floor before quickly going through practiced motions as the surrounding air quickly became drier as all of it's moisture was sucked away.

"A cute trick. Useless without the skills to back it up." the beast rumbled once again as it quickly found itself staring against a massive body of water forming above the blonde.

"Who ever said I didn't have the skills? Naruto shot back as the giant sphere of water warped and churned before tendrils burst forth snaking through the air towards the beast.

The attack launched itself straight for the beast's eyes, and the red headed boy that slept upon its crown.

The giant arm of the beast shielded it's eyes, and protected it's fleshy host having the water impact against the arm harmlessly. The sound of the torrents hitting the beast's arm like water spraying against concrete was only drowned out by the beast's deep mocking laugh.

Shukaku lowered his arm his eyes piercing down to where the blonde was moments before, however there was no sign of him.

The giant racoon growled deeply as his piercing yellow eyes continued to scan the forest as it took its first thunderous step. He would find the blonde.

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XXXXXX

The aged Hokage collapsed onto his hands and knees catching his breath as his wet clothes clung to his exhausting body.

"Come now Hiruzen, I didn't anticipate you going soft in your old age." The first Hokage teased with a grin as he went through the handsigns for his signature justu.

Hiruzen's eyes widened as the rooftop below him began to crack and give way to weeds that quickly began to grow in size. A brief look of fear flashed through the old Kage's eyes as he found himself gazing upon his former sensei's youthful forms. He didn't find the same humor in this situation as the First Hokage did.

"Nor did I anticipate seeing you again sensei." Hiruzen remarked as he scrambled away from the birthing forest as he bit his thumb.

The branches burst forth from the remains of their earlier skirmish. Flying out of the water and bursting out of rock walls were thick leafy branches that threatened to skewer and abuse the Third Hokage into submission.

"If the hidden scroll had been properly cared for Hiruzen, you never would have seen us again." The second Hokage provided far cooler than the first. His expression was stony and lacked the cheer that the first Hokage kept even during the heat of battle.

Hiruzen found his footing as the branches continued to burst forth, promptly riding each of them like a swelling wave before jumping to a new growing branch. The area that was once a rooftop quickly looked no different than The Forest of Death.

Despite the chaos surrounding the Hokage's as the Kazekage imposter watched on, there was an air of light and amusement surrounding the three leaders of Konoha. It was quite surprising to the watching onlookers from outside the great red barrier.

As the branches continued to grow and burst forth, small limbs darted out and entangled themselves around the wrists and ankles of the aged Hokage, who could only struggle against them.

"Oh come on now Hiruzen, that was amateur hour." The First teased again despite the limbs continuing to strangle the Kage.

"We can't all be you Hashirama." Hiruzen remarked through gritted teeth as he watched the snake-like Orochimaru saunter forward claiming an end to their battle. The old Sarutobi grasped at the branch before him calling upon his one and only summon. "Summoning Technique: Monkey King Enma!"

"You summon a pacifist to assist you in battle Hiruzen? This old monkey? Have you grown tired of the west Enma?"

Golden fur adorned the humanoid ape's body. He wore ostentatious armor of black and gold. He stood tall and proud with a muscled build easily dwarfing the Sarutobi by a foot and a half. He spoke with a deep voice, "The west is full of adventures Orochimaru, something I could never tire of. The same cannot be said of you. Sarutobi should have killed you long ago."

"As if he could! I have surpassed him in ways he can never hope to imagine!" Orochimaru fired back proudly.

The Monkey King looked down upon the serpentine shinobi before he released his summoner from his wooden confines with a single blow. "You talk big for one unwilling to fight with his own hands."

"As does the pacifist, unwilling to raise arms in any human conflict." The snake sannin spat back.

The king's eyes grew cold as his gaze bore through the shinobi below, "Yes. Human conflict." The monkey king stated. A staff then expanded from nothing in the Monkey King's grip.

Orochimaru's eyes widened as he realized one reality of his situation.

' _I need that other coffin.'_

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Naruto grit his teeth as he silently scaled the giant beasts back as discreetly as possible. It required his peak concentration and focus as he channeled his chakra. Even after all of the things he had learned this previous month with Mei's tutelage, here Kakashi's lesson was the only one presently paying off.

He needed to channel just the perfect amount of chakra to stick to the giant beast as it walked around shaking the forest around him. However he couldn't actually touch the giant raccoon or else the beast would be alerted to his presence.

The climb has been smooth, but not without it's stress. Every step that was taken pushed the beast only closer to the village as it began uprooting trees searching for him. Each minute that went by in it's search, the beast went further deranged and mad.

Naruto took a deep breath as he narrowly ducked as an entire tree flew through the air just sailing down right behind Shukaku. The leaves even gave him a few cuts here and there as they passed by. Although at this point the blonde doubted that the beast would even be hurt by one of the massive uprooted trees falling on him.

Although as Naruto ascended the colossus he soon had endgame of his plan in sight. The sleeping form of gaara resting on the beast's head.

Naruto reached into his pouch full of kunai as he crouched down behind Gaara ready to spring into action. However just over the cool metal, he hesitated. The memory of Gaara leaving the bloody form of Dosu scattered around the arena floor. The memory of the Snow Shinobi leaving behind the frozen form of Ino.

' _No.'_ Naruto told himself, _'I won't be like them.'_ he said as he let go of the cool steel and clenched his fist tightly.

With that thought in mind Naruto sprang into action darting across the sandy head of Shukaku, his feet kicking up sand in his wake. The beast immediately stopped it's movement as it chuckled.

"So that's where you hid..." The beast mumbled as Naruto closed in.

Naruto reared back his hand and dove in with enough force to punch the redhead across the jaw and to follow through.

Although the Blonde's fears came to life in slow motion.

Gaara's head leaned back just slightly as the punch sailed right past his chin. Naruto's blue eyes looked upon the redhead in surprise. Although the teal eyes he was expecting to greet him weren't what he saw. Yellow eyes are what stared back at him with a smirk across the boy's face.

Naruto tumbled across the head of the raccoon as his body promptly entered fight or flight with the dangerous situation. Although both options were quickly taken from him.

"That was a good attempt boy." The body of Gaara stated as sand quickly enveloped Naruto, entangling him at the arms and legs. "Although. I promised you Uzumaki Naruto, you will die."

Naruto grit his teeth as he awaited the inevitable crushing just like Dosu had experienced earlier that day.

However as the sand reared him back in the air, he knew that the demon had no intention of making his death that quick. "But first!" the beast yelled.

The sand sent Naruto plummeting through the air impacting on the forest floor hard enough to leave a small crater. Although the damage didn't end there as his body skipped like a stone across the ground. All he could do was protect his head with his arms and hope for the best.

The ragdolling however ended abruptly as he slammed back first into one of the smaller trees that littered the forest floor amidst the large variety that Shukaku had been uprooting. Although even the tree had given way and broken upon Naruto's impact.

Naruto stared up to the sky, his chest on fire. He had never experienced a broken rib. Although he had to imagine that this was what it felt like.

"Now Uzumaki Naruto. You will die." Shukaku's loud bellowing voice said as large barbs from the beast's tail floated in the air and visibly sharpened into points as they aimed themselves at Naruto.

Naruto grit his teeth as he forced himself to sit up. He wasn't going to die lying down. He was able to get to a knee as he brought forth as much water as he could to shield him. Although even he knew that as the sand sailed at him, he was staring his death in the face.

The barbs ripped through the shield of water like kunais through leaves tearing the wall asunder.

Naruto tightened his jaw and prepared for the impact.

That was when a whirl of a tornado surrounded the blonde shinobi and a flash of dark silky hair.

The sand spikes slammed into the whirling energy before being grinder away under the force.

"I thought I told you not to die on your way back. I'm starting to get tired of saving your life."

"You shouldn't have come here." Naruto said gritting his teeth as he forced himself to stand.

"You shouldn't have either."

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"What do you mean no one can find my daughter?" Hiashi asked sternly as his cool gaze found the surrounding shinobi before he rounded on the youngest of the group. "And you two let her go on ahead alone?"

Now it was fair to say that both Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru were masters of either non-commitment to situations or just outright laziness. However the presence of Hyuuga Hiashi starring the two down was enough to make the young genin sweat. "She made the choice to go on ahead. We thought she would be fine, she was able to take care of herself out there."

"She is an Academy student!" Hiashi barked back in one of his rare displays of anger. "And you two..."

"Hiashi-san, holding two children responsible during an invasion is not going to help your daughter." Kurenai Yuhi provided trying to calm the situation.

"They stopped being children the moment the put on those headbands they wear so proudly. Yet-"

"It still doesn't change the fact that they are young and lack experience. We will find your daughter." Kurenai pressed on.

"You best hope so." Hiashi stated lowly, "If something has happened to her in the pursuit of this Uzumaki boy, I _will_ hold him responsible for _all_ he has done."

Off to the side of the angered Hyuuga head an auburn haired woman snorted, "No you won't. Because if your daughter was foolish enough to run out into an invasion, no matter the reason, that is her fault."

"She is a child."

"That didn't stop you mere moments before from persecuting boys a year older t-"

"She's _my_ child!" Hiashi snapped back provoking a silence as his Byakugan activated. The Hyuuga gave a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair, the veins beside his eyes in full view.

"Yet our arguing Hiashi won't help her. Use your sight to find her." Gai stated calmly.

Hiashi spared Gai a glance before relenting with another sigh. The Hyuuga head nodded as his eyes focused and pupils moved seeing far more anyone surrounding him could hope to accomplish.

Abruptly Hiashi's body went rigid as his gaze locked on a single position. "Evacuate the hospital."

The others sitting in the room stood straighter in alarm, "What is it? What do you see?"

"A tailed demon and my daughter."

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The battle had taken a turn. Water flew around with violence as an extension of the exhausted blonde's limbs. The Hyuuga's hands cut through sand without resistance. Each blow that was made impacted with a blast of chakra and sound.

"Get down!" Naruto yelled as he spun his heel in a wide arc. A wave of water materialized behind the blow slashing through the air. The wave cut through the air and sailed right over the long dark hair of the Hyuuga as she fell to the ground in an expert split.

The girl flipped back onto her feet as her all seeing eyes watched the column of sand at her left get blown apart by a torrent of water.

"We're closing in!" The girl yelled back, "But the two of us can't keep this up forever!" she finished by diving in front of the blonde with chakra gathering in her fist as it slammed into a spear of sand. The sand obliterated immediately on impact, the chakra controlling it dispersing into the wind.

Naruto grimaced at the harsh reality. His hands formed into a familiar seal. Quickly a dozen pops of smoke appeared around them. All of the clones sharing his image.

"I still don't understand how the lowest scoring graduate in the academy knows a village secret technique." The girl deadpanned as she took a moment to stare at the clones that burst into action and their defense.

"I earned it." Naruto quipped.

The Hyuuga in question opened her mouth to reply but the loud crackling laughter of the giant beast before them stopped her.

"Hanabi, we need to get up there. They will clear a path." he finished giving his clones a nod.

The young Hyuuga academy student nodded, "Fine, I'll lead. I see more than you do. However you're going to need to end this. My gentle fist won't penetrate his sand skin before it's too late."

Naruto's protest died on the tip of his tongue, "Let's go."

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"Ami, are you alright?"

The purple haired girl with asymmetrical hair lifted her head from her hands to look up at the familiar voice in question. The girl in front of her had a water bottle extended towards her which she gratefully accepted.

"Thanks Sakura." The purple haired girl muttered. "I'm fine." the girl said as she stared up at her former victim. The tension between the two could be cut like a knife. However it dissipated at the sight of the winded fresh genin graduates that were nursing their injuries in the evacuation tunnels.

"How did you get here all by yourself?" Sakura attempted to make small talk. Although the way the pink haired girl gripped at her equally pink clothes, you could see her distress.

"Your teammate saved my life." Ami said with a laugh.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura wondered in surprise.

Ami chuckled to herself, "No. Naruto."

Sakura's eyes widened briefly before joining in with the light laughter as the other genin gathered around at the mention of the blonde.

"Is Naruto alright?" Chouji spoke up, "What about his group?"

Ami immediately saw that the shinobi uncomfortably waiting for her reply, "When he saved me, he wasn't with a team." Ami explained causing the group to pale considerably, Chouji in particular. "Although he told me to go to the hospital because it was being guarded by the Mizukage."

"So why aren't you at the hospital?"

"A fire was in my path. I tried going through the sewers, but when i climbed out I was already closer to here."

"And Naruto didn't mention anything of his team?"

Ami shrugged her shoulders, "He sure had some fight to pick with this Snow shinobi that was after me.

"Snow shinobi?" Shino wondered.

"How long have you all been in here? They have been running about starting fires and burning buildings and people ever since this invasion started!"

A knowing look washed over the genin as their gaze fell over the young academy students huddled in the corner.

"I take it you ran into one of the fires?"

Sakura had a frown set on her face as she spoke, "They tried to burn the academy down. However they were gone by the time we arrived and Chouji was able to put it out."

Ami raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think your clan specialized in water jutsus Chouji?"

Chouji rubbed the back of his head giving off a nervous laugh, "It was actually just a really big handful of dirt."

"Buried half of the academy students with it." Tenten snorted.

"It's better than being burned alive!" Chouji proclaimed in defense.

"Perhaps a little bit more finesse would suit you well next time Chouji." Shino chimed in causing the chubby boy to flush in embarrassment.

Ami slapped a hand to her forehead laughing to herself. Although the purple haired teen soon stopped as everyone stared at her. "What? Am I the only one who finds this funny?"

"A lot of people died today." Tenten said as she crossed her arms in disapproval.

Ami shook her head in amusement, "Not that. The fact that everyone in the academy that was supposed to fail apparently surpassed everyone. And then everyone that was thought to be better... well." she said as she gestured between herself and Sakura. "Look how that turned out."

"Well it could have certainly been worse Ami." A new arrival spoke with pride.

"Iruka-sensei!" The students chimed in relative unison as the scarred chunin approached.

"I know I was eavesdropping, but I wanted all of you to know that Konoha's future is still alive because of your actions today. And it doesn't matter if some of you are late bloomers in your shinobi careers. With dedication and hard work, even the most foolhardy ninja can grow to become legendary."

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"This isn't right! Enma you are not supposed to interfere in mortal affairs!" Orochimaru screamed as he squared off against the former teacher.

A distance away the hulking Monkey King stood proud and tall staring down the former leaders of the Hidden Leaf village. "Do not address me boy. I yet interfere in a mortal affair. This is a matter of the dead being robbed from heaven. A matter I shall quickly attend to, and your life is long overdue." The king stated as he slammed his staff on the roof tiles. The roof immediately fissured as the forest that had been formerly birthed began to fall away.

Outside the protective shield Anbu ninja stood watching wide eyed.

"Just how strong is the Hokage's summon?" One of the dark clothed Anbu asked in surprise.

The Anbu in the white garb chuckled to himself. "Well he isn't technically a summon."

"What do you mean? The Hokage ju-"

The white garbed Anbu dismissed the man with a wave, "Yes we all saw. What I mean is that the Monkey King isn't a traditional summon. The Monkey King took a vow long ago not to meddle in the affairs of mortals. He is merely the Hokage's summon in counsel."

"They why? Why is he fighting?" The Anbu muttered.

One of the other squadmates in black stepped forward, "Alright kid, let me get you up to speed here. See those two?" He stated bluntly pointing to the fallen Hokage. "They're dead. Now you see that big fucker with the staff? He's the dude the dead never want to meet. Now you want to know how strong he is?"

The Anbu nodded numbly.

"Well you see that that staff he is spinning over his head right now fast enough to float?"

Another nod.

"Well that staff weighs around seventeen thousand pounds and he's about to blast our former Hokage to kingdom come."

Without delay a single swing from the monkey king impacted with enough force to cause a sonic boom that shattered away the woodwork and sent the first Hokage sailing against the purple barrier lighting the dark haired corpse ablaze.

The wide eyed Anbu stared at the devastation in shock, "Then what do we do?"

The white cloaked Anbu let out a snort, "Kid, we kill them when they run."

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Naruto followed Hanabi up the beast's arm doing his best to stay in the shadow of her footsteps. Every move she made was calculated with far more information than he could hope to possess with her field of view. Every time she weaved out of danger, he followed suit. Every time she found herself boxed out of a pathway, it was his job to blast one through.

"He's getting faster!" Hanabi yelled as Shukaku shook it's entire body trying to flail the shinobi off.

The closer they approached to the red headed boy resting on the beasts crown, the waves of sand began to fly faster and more precise.

A wave of sand blasted forward with a violently increased speed splashing roughly into the Hyuuga sending the girl flying from the large tailed demon's arm.

Naruto dove of the arm and into his pouch as the sand threatened to ensnare the white eyed girl and suspend her above a fall to her death.

Naruto slammed into the girl in free fall grabbing her as a kunai flung itself up up to the beast's leg with a wire attached.

"You idiot that won't work!" Hanabi screamed as the Kunai only stuck for a couple seconds providing them a minor swing before the sand on Shukaku's leg shifted dislodging the kunai entirely.

"Shut up!" Naruto fired back as a shockwave of water fired up from below their fall propelling the two to the beast's hunched shoulders.

Hanabi was the first to make impact as she bounced on the balls of her feet into a roll before spinning herself in an impressive kaiten. The claws of sand that pursued her didn't stand a chance as they shredded apart on the swirling chakra.

Naruto's late landing on the now shifting beast was less than optimal. Falling short of the shoulder he slammed chest and body first like a pancake into the beast's back.

The sand covering Shukaku's back began to slide downward spilling to the floor as the blonde hastily scrambled to recover some semblance of footing.

It was just moments before the drop that Naruto's scrambling hands clasped onto the youthful skin of the young Hyuuga. He was promptly hoisted up by the girl who struggled with his weight.

The two shared a nod as they rounded on the red head. Small sand spires began to slowly rise out of the creature's sandy mass.

"I'll go in and distract him. You need to follow up and end it." Hanabi reiterated.

"Hanabi, I told his sister we wouldn't kill him. There has got to be another way."

"If you aren't capable of killing, then what are you doing here? You better figure something out." Hanabi spat as she darted off ahead.

Naruto followed suit with a greater speed easily catching the younger girl. "I'll knock him out. Go in first, I'll follow through."

Hanabi tightened her lips as they closed in. Their execution was near flawless.

Hanabi weaved in first with impressive speed and she danced through oncoming waves of sand not unlike her cousins battle with the water wielding Shinobi behind her.

As Hanabi closed the distance to within a dozen feet she was bombarded with clumps of sand as she began to spin rapidly.

"Now Naruto!" Hanabi yelled at the beginning of her spin.

The sand demon didn't see the blow coming. With a running start and water propelling him from his hands the blonde leapt through the air with a spin like a bullet.

His fist was clenched tightly and in his grip was his leaf shinobi headband with the plate lining his knuckles.

The sound of the impact from the punishing blow was like the sound of a sledgehammer striking stone.

Gaara's neck snapped to the other direction his head facing down as the sand surrounding Hanabi began to crumble away.

As the battle died down Naruto gave Hanabi another nod.

It wasn't returned.

"Are you stupid? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"That's not-"

"Then what were you trying to accomplish?"

"How many people do you think died today? What about Ino?" Naruto asked with a pause and a look of regret flashing on his face. "How many people, more of my friends do you think would have died if this thing reached the village?"

Hanabi had a response on the tip of her tongue but the demonic chuckling of the redhead turned their blood cold.

"I will kill them all." Gaara voiced as he shot his hands outward in a grasping motion.

Hanabi being the closer of the two was quickly gripped at the legs just as she attempted to spin to safety.

Naruto fared better as a tidal wave of water washed over him spinning violently over his torso. Only his feet were trapped by the sand.

"I will keep you here. I will make you watch. I will show you everything you fought so hard to protect destroyed right in front of you. Then I will kill you." Gaara said coldly as yellow eyes pierced through the two of them.

"Why! Why would you do this?" Naruto struggled against his restraints.

"Because you Uzumaki are just like me." Gaara growled as his yellow eyes pierced the blonde's blue orbs.

Encased in sand Hanabi grit her teeth as the shifting coffin began to cover her entirely. "Naruto, do something!

Naruto struggled against his own restraints as the sand encircled his wrists. "I can't!"

Gaara grew a sickening grin as both Hanabi and Naruto were brought closer floating before Gaara. "She will just be the first." Gaara said as he held his hand out in a familiar grasping motion.

Panic filled Hanabi's eyes as she began to struggled in her coffin. "Naruto help!"

Naruto grit his teeth. "Gaara don't do this!"

"Gaara isn't here right now..."

"Please don't!" Naruto pleaded as the red head's hand began to close.

"Naruto!" Hanabi managed to scream just as her mouth was covered.

"Desert Coffin!"

Naruto grit his teeth as the event played out in slow motion for him as time practically slowed to a halt.

The mask weighed heavily on his mind.

" _Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me. If possible, I don't want to have to kill you. Nor do I want for you to have to kill me. But if you come at me, I will destroy my kind heart and become a true shinobi. For my dream is to protect someone I hold most precious, and in order to do that I cannot do what I want. I must do what is necessary."_

He could feel the still wet blood in the sand that formed from Gaara's sand armor that was used to bind him.

" _You are unable to do what is necessary."_

Naruto's jaw tightened as the memories of the day's events flooded back to him. The Snow Shinobi, and the subsequent aftermath.

" _I will never - ever turn my back on people who need me!"_

Although the voices within his mind soon vanished and left behind the voice of the one man he looked up to more than any other.

" _Naruto there was a time where I came upon a crossroads where I had to make a choice between taking a life to save many, and I couldn't. I now bear the weight of that weakness and failure every day."_

" _And what if I come to that crossroads Jiji?"_

" _I hope that when and if that time comes Naruto, that you'll be a stronger man than I was for your friend's and family's sake."_

Reality flooded back to the blonde as crimson flooded his vision.

"What is this?" Gaara growled out as he stood frozen with his hand outstretched straining to grasp itself into a fist. His yellow eyes locked with the blonde's crimson orbs for his final moments.

"There is too much blood in your sand Gaara."

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" _You're a monster."_

Naruto felt the wind whirling around him as he sailed through the air in freefall. Sand crumbled around them like dust in the wind as it soared past the three teens in freefall.

Naruto saw the young Hyuuga's eyes briefly strain as she began to wake from unconsciousness with a deal of trepidation. Hey white eyes squinted trying to make sense of what was going on around her. "Naruto?" The girl mouthed in confusion.

The blonde brought his arms to his side as they approached the ground rapidly in their dive. Water surged like jets behind his palms as he dove straight into the dark haired Hyuuga for a rough catch before diving directly into a large sphere of water.

The duo fired through the sphere like a torpedo before landing on the ground with Hanabi cradled by the blonde.

No more than seconds later a loud and wet crunch filled the shinobi's ears.

Hanabi removed herself from the blonde's arms as she gazed at the broken source of the sound. "You killed him?"

"He was going to kill you." Naruto reported with a grimace.

The expression didn't go unnoticed by the Hyuuga. "In that case Naruto, I think I owe you now."

A light smirk played across his features. "Let's just call us even Hanabi. You wouldn't even be out here if it wasn't for your loyalty to your sister."

The girl snorted, "Well you got that right."

The playfulness between the two died off with the sound of distant explosions. The two were forced back to the reality of the broken redhead laying near their feet.

"Hanabi, I need you to take his body back to the hospital for me."

Hanabi stuck up her nose, "Why? He's dead."

Naruto frowned as he looked at the nearly unrecognizable broken lump on the forest floor. "Because he was just like me."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow as Naruto made a move to press on. "Hey! What do you mean by that? Where are you going?"

The blonde's gaze bounced between the girl and the redhead. "I need to go find the old man and make sure he's alright."

"I thought you were an orphan?"

"The Hokage is like my father."

Hanabi's eyes widened at the connection. "Wait, the Hokage? He's fine. He's the Hokage."

Naruto sent a worried glance in the direction of the giant red prison above the stadium, "For now."

"Naruto!" Hanabi yelled after the retreating blonde. Although it did nothing to slow the determined youth. "What do you even plan to do!"

Naruto stopped his run as he thought over the question until his eyes quickly brightened with the answer, "Whatever's necessary." He spoke before taking off once again leaving the young Hyuuga behind.

As the blonde became a quickly forming spec in the distance the Hyuuga's white eyes scanned over to the deceased redhead and kicked the fleshy mass with a cringe of disgust. "What did he mean that they were alike?" she muttered.

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Anyways there you have it. A lot of stuff happens in this chapter that notably changes the future of the story as well as what originally happened in the series. I hope you have so far enjoyed the tale, as well as this chapter summing up Naruto's journey in regards to killing, forging him into a different character than what the series originally created.

I am still working on Into The Darkness, but as mentioned I am just rather caught up with work.

One more chapter of this story is written. Then there will be a break until I can honestly find myself some more free time to write.

Feel free to review what you thought about the chapter. This is probably one of the chapters I was the least sure about out of the ten I will be posting. Let me know what you thought of it, and what you felt could be better.


	10. Snow is Coming

Whoops. I totally thought I posted this last chapter weeks ago. I've had it done since like September. My bad.

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"Many of you here today know of honor and glory on a battlefield. Few in the world could ever attest to that claim. Although in my brief stay in this village I have found that the shinobi of Konoha are a breed unlike any other. I have witnessed first hand the Will of Fire that your Hokage has held such pride in. I may not be one of you, but I know of your history. Your struggles. Your triumphs. I understand that your people have befallen rough times with the most recent invasion. Yet if any group of people have shown the world that rough times do not come to stay, they come to pass, those would be the people of Konoha." The woman spoke to the gathered sea of people dressed in black each of them carrying a single white flower.

"However do not mistake my praise. I understand these coming times will be hard. Mourning the dead will be difficult. Yet it is in the face of great loss and adversity that some of those among you rise above and become something greater than who your formerly were. As such while we are here to mourn those that you have lost, we are also here to commend those who have displayed great valor on the field of battle. So at the behest of your Hokage, in his words we shall commend those whose will burned bright in the darkest times."

The woman in blue continued on to acknowledge and recount the acts of great valor for the people before her as the sea of shinobi and civilians alike stood rapt at attention.

Within the crowd a group of young rookies near the back quietly spoke to one another. "Why is she delivering this speech instead of another shinobi of Konoha? It would be better coming from one of our own." the pink haired girl said quietly as she clutched at the white flower in her hand.

At the girl's side stood Shikamaru watching the speech continue to unfold, "Whether anyone is going to admit it here or not, the Mizukage's efforts at the hospital saved hundreds of lives and families that were unable to reach the tunnels when she could have just left our village to the mercy of the Sand and Sound. Or she could have joined and assisted them. Given that she was the one that protected the hospital and all of our friends before other shinobi arrived, what do you think could have happened if she chose to destroy it?" Shikamaru questioned.

The young genin remained silent at that thought, and the potential loss of life.

"While this speech may have been better delivered by someone of greater standing, The Hokage is still in the hospital. I could guarantee you that she will be declaring peace between our villages by the end of this." Shikamaru assessed.

The woman continued on as she began listing individual shinobi's efforts, and promotions in rank.

"Do you think anyone that participated in the exams will be promoted?" The older weapons mistress of team Gai wondered.

"I think given the invasion, that's out the wind-"

"To Nara Shikamaru for leading and devising a plan to defend Konoha's medical facility and it's future generation, you have been presented the title of chunin."

"Looks like you don't know as much as you think Shikamaru." Tenten teased the stunned Nara.

Although the young Nara was too shocked to even retort with his wit, "But... but someone died on my watch."

"And lastly and perhaps most notably is someone who is currently not present at this ceremony, but his act perhaps saved this village's very existence." Mei spoke loudly as the crowd awaited the final promotion.

"To Uzumaki Naruto for exemplary performance in the exams, your promotion was set to be awarded. However the feats the shinobi in question performed amidst the invasion include protecting the hospital and those under it's care, saving civilians trapped in the streets during the invasion from enemy shinobi, defeating the one tailed beast known as Shukaku, and it's container. Then continuing on to assist in saving the life of the present Hokage by battling your former Nidaime Hokage. A battle which resulted in ultimately in the death of Konoha's most notorious missing ninja and one of the Sannin, Orochimaru. Uzumaki Naruto is hereby awarded the rank of Tokubetsu Chunin. Your Hokage acknowledges that Uzumaki Naruto's Will of Fire burned brighter than all others on that day."

Within the group of genin near the back of the stunned crowd, one of them asked the question that repeated in their minds.

"Naruto did... what?"

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"Naruto, I know that look well. Something is eating you up. What is it?" The aged Hokage asked as he sat in his bed with his legs in casts and a patch over his eye.

Naruto looked up from his hospital seat next to the Hokage's bed. The blonde didn't look much better with cuts and deep purple bruises littering his visible body along his veins. "What do you mean?" The blonde returned as he sat up straighter in his chair.

"Most who visit me don't come in and sit down looking at their hands for hours on end when I'm awake. So what is on your mind?"

Naruto pursed his lips as he leaned back in his chair, his hand covering his mouth in thought. "Do you... do you remember the stories you used to tell me when I was a boy?"

"I may have a long memory Naruto, but I am also old. Which stories are on your mind?"

"You would tell me when I was a kid that the world would be a better place without killing. That the act only serves to bring about more hatred in the world. You said it was a philosophy that one of your students also believed."

The Hokage nodded his head in acknowledgment as Naruto continued.

"For that reason I grew up and I wanted to be a ninja that could shape the world without killing. Do you believe that is even possible?"

"I do, but only if one can expunge the darkness in their heart can they truly find peace."

"So you believe there is a darkness then?" Naruto spoke quickly.

"I believe that there are many forms of it and that there are those that walk among us with darkness buried inside them."

"And what if I was put in a position to stop one of those people with darkness within them from ever hurting anyone? Should I?"

"I suppose Naruto the question is how you intended to do that."

The two shinobi's eyes met in a silent staredown as the Hokage's eyes softened.

"I heard what happened during your battle with the Kazekage's son Gaara, and I can see that it's affecting you now. I want you to know that it's never easy taking a person's life Naruto. The reason the cycle of hatred exists is because of a person stripping away all of the years another has lived, stripping them away from those that love them and the goals they set to accomplish. It is something I must face as Hokage every time a person's life is in my hands. Although I knew from the moment you were born that if there were anyone that would grow to be a truly good person, it would be you Naruto. I know it in my heart that you're destined for great things."

"Then why do you think the Fourth put a demon in me? I remember as a kid in the orphanage they would tell me that I held a demon in me. I only realize now it wasn't a metaphor. And ever since my battle with Gaara and his death, I just feel _it_ in the back of my mind clawing to be let out."

"And he put it in you Naruto because he knew you could keep that door locked."

"But for how long?"

"I don't know Naruto. Very few things are set in stone. Even Orochimaru used to be my prized student."

Naruto tightened his jaw and shook his head, "I hate it. I wanted to blame the demon in me for what I did to Gaara. What I tried to do to the Nidaime. What I want to do to the shinobi of Snow Country."

The aged Hokage sighed as he looked upon the young shinobi with a soft gaze, "Naruto, I have seen many shinobi come and go upon the path of revenge. I want you to know that killing these shinobi won't bring you peace."

"Peace isn't what I'm after." Naruto replied firmly.

Hiruzen let out another sigh as he gained a distant look, "In that case, I have your first mission as a Tokubestu Chunin Naruto, but only if you accept my one condition."

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"Kiba! Where did you even get all of that?" the pink haired shinobi exclaimed in surprise as the young dark haired Inzuka burst through the doors with Akamaru at his heels. In his hands were two large crates full of white bottles.

"I have to agree, that is enough sake to down even a professional alcoholic Kiba." Shino addressed pushing his glasses further on his nose.

Kiba grinned, "I took them from my mom's stash down below. Besides, we're all ninja now, and we have never had a party like this yet for us rookies. Come on, we all made it through the second stage of the chunin exams!" the Inuzuka member tried to raise the energy in the room, "And lets be honest, of everyone who could have won, none of us were thinking this guy." Kiba gestured with a shit eating grin.

"Well you sure as hell weren't going to win Kiba." Shikamaru stated bluntly as he plucked the first sake bottle from the crate in Kiba's hands much to Kiba's outburst.

"That's not cool man. He got lucky! And if I lost to the champion, that-"

"Does not mean you could beat anyone else in here." Sasuke commented with a smirk, joining in with the sake. His act seemed to spark the other able shinobi gathered in the room as one by one each genin came through and plucked a sake bottle from the crate.

"H-hey! Let me set these down first." Kiba managed to get out barely shoving his way through to the table as the sea of genin surged forward. Each young shinobi gathered bottle after bottle one by one. Team 9, Sakura, Chouji, and even both Ami and Hanabi, the unofficial members of the surviving rookies followed suit to complete the circle. Gai's team was also willing, although Lee's bottle was promptly plucked from his hands by a fiery tempered Tenten who quietly scolded the young green beast.

"Naruto, a toast to Ino?" Shikamaru suggested as the last in line stepped forward to the bottles.

The young shinobi in question let out a sigh as his fingers traced the selection of bottles. "I didn't come here to drink. I miss her just like the rest of you. But mourning her isn't going to bring her back. I came here to ask for four of you to join me on a mission I was just given."

"A mission? Right after the invasion?" Hinata voiced, her sake bottle sitting at her side untouched.

"Konoha is trying to put on a show to the other villages. Although it won't matter if the Mizukage reveals to the world what happened here." Shino addressed.

"The Mizukage doesn't have to. The damage has been done. Those who already retreated to Suna have done that by now already. The Hokage needs contractors to rebuild what was lost." Shikamaru assessed as he locked eyes with Naruto, as he too left his drink discarded at his side.

"The Hokage has give me permission to take four people of my choosing." Naruto explained.

"Why you though? You've never led a team yet." Sakura questioned.

"I'm going to Wave Country to see Tazuna."

Silence and recognition flashed over the faces of Team Seven as other genin looked among each other in confusion.

"But why you?"

Tenten was promptly answered by the smirking Uchiha, "Because he's Wave country's hero. The Great Naruto Bridge is what they called it."

"I bet that bruised your ego." Kiba quipped with a smirk.

"Not as much as losing to a fart." Sasuke fired back effortlessly leaving the Inuzuka simmering, and the group smiling.

"Guys." Shikamaru prompted with his hand to silence the room, "Naruto, who do you need?"

Naruto nodded respectfully as he first gestured, "First I need you Shikamaru. I wouldn't have made it past Dosu without you." Naruto explained.

The pineapple haired boy's eyes widened briefly in surprise, but gratefully nodded.

"As for the next person, the Hokage said that if you accept this mission you would be immediately promoted to genin alongside the rest of you in this room. Hanabi, will you join me?"

The dark haired girl looked up in surprise at the selection. Her gaze bounced between both the blonde and her clan members as she found herself on unsure footing, "I'd need to bring this to my father, but I accept if he allows it."

Naruto pursed his lips realizing it was probably the best he would get from the Hyuuga clan princess, "And Sakura?"

The pink haired girl had been watching the events keenly only to shake her head in surprise at the mention of her own name, "What?"

"Will you join my team?"

"W-why?" Sakura looked around stunned as she tried to gauge the reactions of others in the surrounding room, "Uh, sure, of course." she mumbled still stunned.

Naruto's eyes then locked with Sasuke's, the dark haired Uchiha whose recovering arm was resting loosely in a sling. "Then the last person I need on my team is."

Sasuke's smirk further increased as Naruto dragged out his last selection.

"Ami."

"What!" Sasuke blurted out incredulously.

"Ami, the same goes for you as it does Hanabi. The Hokage told me that if you choose to join the team you will be promoted to genin and reassigned back to Team 10 upon arrival." Naruto spoke evenly as Sasuke started seething in front of the blonde.

Ami looked equally as stunned as Sakura, although no words could form from her mouth. Unlike Sakura's choice however, those gathered around viewed the selection with equal surprise and confusion, and shared Sasuke's less than subtle sentiment.

"Unless you enjoy working in your grocery store that is." Naruto tacked on with a smirk.

"I'll go." Ami said quickly doing her best to ignore the various looks sent her way.

"Good. We're leaving tonight and meeting at the main gate in three hours. Don't be late."

Naruto abruptly turned and left the party leaving a heavy silence in his wake. Suddenly all of the bottles of sake remained next to those untouched.

Kiba was the first to break the silence.

"So... Wave country again huh? So much for a party."

Sasuke's scowl further increased.

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"Sakura, I thought you would be at the celebration." the tired eyed form of Yuhi Kurenai asked as the pink haired girl stepped through the hospital doorway.

"I was. Although the celebration ended early." the girl explained with a frown.

"How come?" team eight's sensei wondered.

"Naruto asked a number of us to join him on a mission. I was just hoping to get advice from Kakashi-sensei."

Kurenai whistled quietly to herself, "Well he sure surpassed the expectations that others had for him." the red eyed woman commented, "As for Kakashi, he still hasn't woken up yet."

"Oh." Sakura frowned, "Alright then."

"Is there something I can help you with Sakura?"

The pink haired girl's head rose to meet the red eyed woman's.

"Just because I'm not your sensei doesn't mean I can't give you advice. What's on your mind?"

Sakura shook her head, "It's just... I'm one of the people Naruto chose."

"And you accepted?"

The pink haired girl nodded.

"Then what is the problem?"

"Why would he choose me?"

"I'm not sure I follow you Sakura. Aren't you his teammate? Why wouldn't he choose you."

Sakura's lips pursed at the thought as her eyes found an interest in her shoes, "I'm weak. All of the other genin my age are stronger than me."

"But I heard you were smart?" Kurenai provided.

"Shikamaru is smart. He thinks tactics and plans several steps ahead of the rest of us. I'm just good with books."

"Is that what you believe?"

"You were there in the preliminary exams. You saw my match with... Ino." The girl explained, her best friend's name weighing heavily on her tongue. "If I had fought anyone else that day, I would have lost. I just don't know why Naruto chose me."

"Perhaps he sees something in you that you have yet to see in yourself?" Kurenai suggested.

"He has always seen the best in me while I have always treated him awfully." Sakura stated shaking her head in disbelief, "He chose me over Sasuke. That shouldn't have happened."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at that note. That _was_ surprising. "Who else did he choose?"

"Shikamaru, a girl in our class that graduated the academy but didn't make it onto a team, and Hinata's sister."

"Hanabi?" Kurenai wondered in surprise. "But she isn't even a genin yet."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, "The Hokage let him choose both of them, and they would be promoted to genin. We are supposed to go to Wave Country to hire contractors to help rebuild the village."

"Then perhaps he chose you Sakura because it is not brawn that Naruto is looking for, but instead finesse."

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"Well aren't you packing up quickly. You know, your mother won't appreciate you running off in the middle of the night."

The young pineapple haired Nara stopped stuffing equipment into his backpack as he looked back to his father. "I was asked to join a team for a mission."

His father nodded, "I suppose it is rather soon, although not uncommon. I'm not entirely sure the Mizukage has even left yet. Who's your leader?"

"Naruto. He says we're going to Wave Country in order to reach out to the contractor's his team met when they took the mission there earlier this year. We're supposed to hire them to help with the repairs to the village." Shikamaru explained.

Shikaku raised an eyebrow at the statement, "Are you sure about that?"

"That's what he said." Shikamaru commented with a shrug as he continued stuffing his bag with the gear sorted around his room. Although his father's silence soon prompted the young man to turn around, "Why?"

"The village's repairs are going along quite readily. While contractors will help, I don't believe there will be much for them to do by the time you return. This could only mean two things. T-"

"That either the Hokage wants to build something greater than simply what is being rebuilt, or this isn't the real mission." The thought soured the young Nara's expression.

"Shika, do you trust Naruto?" his father asked softly.

The younger Nara nodded.

"Then trust him to lead you. My son, I know that you and your friend have seen rough times with your graduation, far rougher than any of those that came before you in the past ten years. However you're a Nara, you need to be strong." his father stated as he clapped his son on the shoulder.

"I thought strength was for the Akimichi's."

Shikaku snorted at his son's smirk, "Your wit is what gets you in trouble Shikamaru. But I'm not asking you just to be strong, Naruto is counting on you to be smart."

"But Dad, Ino was counting on me, and I failed her."

"Ah there it is." His father rapped the boy on the back lightly, "I see you have adopted the trait of Nara's always blaming themselves for misfortune. It's a common trait, not one easily rid of."

Shikamaru pursed his lips unamused with the banter, "Dad..."

"Do you want to know how to get rid of it?"

Shikamaru's interest piqued.

"You can't. There is no cure. But there is a remedy. Watch your friends, tend to them, and make sure you don't lose any more."

"Snow shinobi killed Ino. I won't let that happen to any of my friends again. Even if I have to-"

"Shikamaru. Be careful. Rage and fear are the two key components that turn a decent man cruel."

The youth fell silent at his father's revelation.

"Then what do you expect me to do? Just forget about them?"

"I expect you to follow Naruto, protect your friends, and provide your brilliant counsel when you feel it is required."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Naruto saved their country from a tyrant and poverty, and we're going to go ask a few contractors to help us. I don't think my counsel will be much required."

"Unless that isn't where you're going." Shikaku returned.

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"I must protest Hanabi-sama, your father has already set to retire for the evening. Perhaps i-"

"Perhaps I will decide when I must address my father Tokuma!" Hanabi claimed whirling around one of the Hyuuga clan's many chunin with a fiery stare.

"Hanabi-sama I..." The young chunin stumbled over his words under the girl's growing glare.

"You're dismissed Tokuma. I simply have good news to tell my father, and no, it cannot wait."

Tokuma shifted uncomfortably on his feet, "But..."

"But what Tokuma?" the girl practically growled.

The young chunin abruptly shook his head and quickly departed the girl's presence leaving her no more than ten paces from her father's bedroom door.

It was the following ten paces that she walked alone that allowed her question weigh heavily on her mind. The night was dark and cold, the only light on the compound was illuminated by the few torches that bled through from the center courtyard.

Hanabi knew that she would be lying if she said she weren't apprehensive about her inevitable encounter with her father. She was in the man's presence every day, and still sometimes the ways he looked upon her set her with unease. They had barely spoken since the events of the invasion. She had often wondered what her father would think of her own triumphs in the invasion, or her decisions to partake in it in the first place.

What would he think of Naruto? It was hard for her to imagine her father's opinion when she herself did not have a clear one. All that she knew was that the blonde had asked for her help, and she didn't hesitate to accept. This time there was no persuasion from her sister required. This time it was all her.

Hanabi slid open the screens in a single movement revealing a rather barren room. There was nothing in it that wouldn't have already been a requirement for a prisoner. Yet at the same time there was nothing more aside from a single candle providing minimal illumination to the Hyuuga Head's form.

' _His living space is so frugal. Yet it only serves to hide the fact that he could probably fund a mercenary army with the clan's fortune.'_ Hanabi thought as she found herself gazing at the candle, the only thing of note in the entire room.

Hyuuga Hiashi sat cross legged on the sleek dark wooden floor in the center of the room. He was a tall but lean man. His unmarked forehead was the first thing to note of the man. The next were his white eyes that had the faintest tint of violet, a trait that was shared with her sister. He was dressed in traditional robes, yet didn't showcase the slightest hint of discomfort.

"Father." Hanabi addressed before bowing to the Clan Head.

She knew that trying to force a smile under the man's intense scrutiny was doomed for failure, and for that reason she merely did her best to hide her discomfort under his watch.

"Hanabi." Hiashi returned. "Or should I call you demon slayer? That is what others around our compound have taken to whispering behind my back."

Hanabi cringed at the title. As far as they went, it certainly wasn't a bad title. Certainly better than the Copy Ninja, but anything that displeased her father wasn't something that made her swelling with pride. "Hanabi is fine father."

The Hyuuga Head scoffed, "If only you knew the irony child. Sit." the man commanded gesturing in front of him.

Hanabi fell to the floor mirroring her father as the man examined her.

"You have taken to the Uzumaki boy just like your sister."

"Father!"

The man raised his hand to stop her.

"Your sister's infatuation with that boy was going to set her on a path to one day charge into battle to save him at the expense of her own life. I never imagined you would both be one in the same."

"It is not like that Father!" Hanabi proclaimed passionately, "Father, Hinata asked me to look after him. I fought alongside him the entire invasion. He protected me just as much as I did him. He saved my life during our battle with Gaara."

"A battle you should never have been apart of. I will see to your sister's punishment. She's naive. You however should have known better. You both were this family's legacy. If something had happened to either of you, that would have been lost."

"What did you mean _were_ father?" Hanabi questioned, the pit of her stomach a storm of emotions. _'Have they chosen a true heir? Have I been selected as next in line? Have they finally acknowledge my skill?_ '

"Given the recent events in the invasion I have taken the time to speak with the Clan Elders. They have suggested that it has been long overdue for an heir to be chosen."

"So it's between me and Hinata? Is it going to be a trial by combat?" Hanabi began to poke around silently hoping it was the later so her victory was practically assured.

"The Elders have decided there will be no trial Hanabi." Hiashi explained. "You're the youngest."

Hanabi felt her chest grew tight as a lump formed in her throat. "But... but I'm more skilled. I have studied. I know more about the clan's politics." Hanabi continued to list off with a strain in her voice.

"And yet you are the youngest."

"So is this how it will be then? I am just to be branded like some common slave!" Hanabi yelled, her fierce temper flaring as she leapt to her feet with her fists clenched in anger. "All when I have done everything for the clan! For you!"

Hiashi lightly tightened his jaw as he rose to look down upon his daughter. "And there it is." he said as he looked upon the fiery eyed girl, "It wasn't just your mother's looks you adopted. You have her fiery blood and fierce temper. Will you attempt to make a mockery of me as you have done your sister in sparring? Boasting of your superiority among children in the academy?"

"If it would make you see the right choice!" Hanabi fired back.

Hiashi scoffed, "Not even out of the academy and already you're so entitled. I am only partially responsible for choice of successor. Had you not run off into battle like some bloodthirsty rookie. Had your sister not embarrassed us with her display in the exams. Perhaps this decision wouldn't have to be made so readily. Yet here we stand."

"In mutual disgust with one another." Hanabi spat.

"You don't need to love me Hanabi, but you will respect me."

"As this choice has shown me respect?"

"As this choice has demanded it. Now my daughter you will rid yourself of these childish notions that the position of Clan Head was ever yours to begin with. It belongs to me, and me alone. Only if you were to prove you were worthy would you have been chosen as my rightful heir. Do you think less of me for the choice I am forced to make here and now?"

Hanabi stared back defiantly, her eyes saying far more than her voice ever could.

"I would expect no less from a girl your age. Although you will learn the truth as you grow older. Th-"

"Do you not care about me? My future?" try as she might the young Hyuuga had tears beginning to well in the corners of her eyes.

"There was a time where I had people I cared for deeply Hanabi. However in time you will learn that those attachments are only good for one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Getting them killed."

Hanabi's lips nearly disappeared as they formed into a thin line. "So this is it. This is your plan?"

The Hyuuga Head leveled a stare at his daughter's defiant eyes.

"I came to tell you that I have officially been promoted to a genin of Konoha for my service in the invasion. I wanted to ask for your permission to take my first mission. Although now, I don't care. I'm not staying, and you can't make me."

Hiashi gently rolled up the sleeves of his evening robes, "Can't I?"

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XXXXXX

The purple haired girl stared at the beaten and ragged door that had seen better days. The green wood had long since chipped and splintered away. The door handle that probably once gleamed in the light had signs of rust beginning to form at it's edges. Even the hallway outside of the apartment was in need of it's own cleaning as a couple empty soda cans and bags of chips could be seen discarded in front of other resident's doors.

"Come on." Ami whispered to herself. "It's alright, he picked you for a reason. It's not like you played ding dong ditch on his house all throughout the academy." Ami muttered to herself before pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Just do it Ami." She whispered to herself.

She quickly knocked several times in quick succession. Although it wasn't out of courage.

' _He's not home I bet. He's probably already at the gate or something. I'll jus-'_

The door's locks began to unfasten on the other side just as the girl plotted her retreat. The door swung open gently revealing the blonde that part of her dreaded seeing.

"I was wondering when you were going to knock." Naruto said quietly as he shifted on his feet beckoning the girl inside.

"You knew it was me!" Ami exclaimed quickly in embarrassment.

"I heard someone pacing. I don't have neighbors." Naruto informed as Ami entered the threshold.

Ami looked puzzled at that, "You don't?" She asked curiously as she stepped further into the room only for her eyes to widen in surprise. "Why is this place so tall?"

The walls were grey and looked like large slabs of concrete. The floors were a pale grey wood not unlike the walls that surrounded them. However it was the the distant ceiling that was the most notable feature in the apartment. It even allowed for a short staircase to protrude from the wall with a small desk and workbench to preside above the bed.

"The people above me moved as well. They thought it would be funny to leave the water on during their last day of moving. Eventually one day I came home to a sea of water submerging my floor that would have done enough water damage to make both the upstairs and my apartment unrentable."

"But the floors look fine?" Ami questioned.

"I told the Hokage and he sent over a shinobi of his that is also a skilled woodworker. I didn't get to see him work, but he had the repairs done within a day." Naruto reported looking over the smooth floorboards.

"That sounds impressive." Ami noted.

Naruto shrugged, "I never planned on moving. The rent here was cheap when I was in the academy. However unlike other places, the rent here has simply dropped with time. Eventually I bought this place."

"Wait you own t-"

"I don't think you came here to interrupt my packing to talk about my apartment Ami."

The girl with asymmetrical hair flushed under the scrutiny. "You're right. I came here to ask you why you chose me."

Naruto looked over the purple haired girl as his lips formed into a thin line. "What makes you think that I chose you?"

Ami did a double take with her hair whipping around as she faced the blonde, "What do you mean? This is your mission. You had to have chosen me. Otherwise, why the promotion?"

"Perhaps the Hokage saw more potential in you than simply being a checker in a grocery store?"

Ami scoffed, "I doubt the Hokage even knows my name Naruto. Tell me, and be honest, why did you choose me? You chose me over your teammate Sasuke."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he gestured to the staircase for the girl to have a seat, "I did." he concede as he continued gathering his last couple items in the room. "Although it was never much of a choice, more of an obligation."

Ami reluctantly sat down as her mind whirled trying to find the answers to her question. "What do you mean it was an obligation? You don't owe me anything Naruto. You never have, particularly ever since we were kids."

"You're right." Naruto admitted causing the purple haired girl's gaze to meet the blonde's. "I don't owe you a thing. Although something happened during the invasion, but I had no time to deal with it at that time." Naruto began as Ami paid close attention. "Did you know that shinobi from the Land of Snow killed Ino?"

Ami nodded.

"And did you know the shinobi in the sky that was attacking you was also from the Land of Snow?"

Ami shook her head.

"And do you know that the Shadow Clone technique transfers all memories the clone acquires to the shinobi upon dispersion?"

Ami paused as her eyes widened at that thought as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I was equally surprised." Naruto cut in, "But not as surprised as I was when she addressed you. Not as Ami Yoku, the orphan I grew up with, but as Asami Kakuyoku, the younger sister of a Snow Shinobi."

Ami looked on stunned as she shook her head in disbelief, "What are you talking about? I've lived in Konoha my entire life!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that, "Not your _entire_ life Ami. I remember when you first arrived at the orphanage."

Ami held her hand to her face as she tried to process what the blonde had told her, "But I don't understand. Even if I'm from a home I can't remember, how does that help us now. How does that help us in Wave Country?"

Naruto extended his hand to the stunned girl, "You and I aren't staying in Wave Country. We're finding your home, and you're going to help me. Otherwise, I can just let the Hokage know who you really are."

Ami stared at the offered hand with a storm of emotions running through her.

XXXXXX

XXXXXX

"You're the first one here?" Shikamaru called out.

Sakura was seated on the ground with her back to the gate and her bag between her legs. Around her shoulders was a gray cloak that was wrapped tightly around her. Her head perked up immediately at Shikamaru's call.

"Oh hey!" Sakura replied quickly rubbing one of her eyes.

"Were you asleep?" Shikamaru asked as he slung his pack to the ground at his feet. "How long have you been here?"

Sakura looked sheepish after giving a yawn, "About an hour."

"An hour?" Shikamaru repeated in surprise.

"Yeah. Naruto was always the first to arrive for our meetings in the morning, I didn't want to be late here."

"Trying to make a good impression?" Shikamaru asked with a smirk.

Sakura's lightly clipped Shikamaru with her foot, "Shut up." the pink haired girl said giving her eyes a roll. "It's just Naruto grew so fast. Now here he is leading me. We all used to think we were better than him."

"I didn't." Shikamaru retorted.

"Well you were lazy."

"I still _am_ lazy."

"Regardless, you surprised everyone in the exams. Thinking that many steps ahead. You may have been outmatched, but were flawless with what you had."

"If you say so Sakura. I feel a loss is a loss."

"At least you got to the exams at all. When it comes to this team, both you and Hanabi were obvious choices. But I'm here above the rest of our class, including Sasuke."

"Sasuke's still injured."

Sakura scoffed, "Sasuke could probably beat me blind, let alone with a broken arm."

"Don't sell yourself short Sakura. Besides, you're the only good company I have here besides Naruto." Shikamaru admitted as he plopped down beside the pink haired girl.

"Oh come on. Ami may have bullied me when we were kids, but that's just it, we were kids, not shinobi. Things will be different now."

"You really believe that?" Shikamaru drawled.

Sakura frowned.

"And besides, Ami can be a ray of sunshine now. However Hanabi is nearly as troublesome as they come."

Sakura elbowed the lazy genin, "Come on, she can't be that bad."

"Imagine Ino as an actual princess, the cockiness of Kiba, and the level of skill of either Naruto or Sasuke. Fuse that together with a touch of cocky condescension and you have Hyuuga Hanabi in a nutshell." Shikamaru reported.

Sakura however had her mouth agape at the assessment, "Shikamaru! Come on she can't be that bad."

"No, she's w-"

"Hey, here comes Naruto. I think he's with Ami." Sakura said sitting up straighter only to stand as she caught sight of the other party.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the approaching duo. It was a strange sight seeing Naruto out of the orange jumpsuit he had taken to wearing for the past several years and instead donning the black blue trimmed outfit.

Ami's clothes however appeared rather casual for a shinobi. Her outfit consisted of a form fitting black top that was secured with a small section of black bandages around her abdomen. She wore a maroon long sleeved sweater presently unzipped nearly to the bottom. Her black fingerless gloves matched her form fitting shorts, shinobi sandals, and calf high socks. Over her shorts she had a small purple apron clinging to the belt around her waist. Although one of her most notable features was the gleaming 'X' shape that rested on the small of her back.

"Boomerangs?" Shikamaru asked with a raised eyebrow as the duo approached.

Ami briefly smiled as she gave a silent nod as Naruto took point.

"Where's Hanabi? I figured she would be here by now." Naruto assessed as he looked around for the young Hyuuga.

Sakura barely fought down a yawn covering it with her hand, "She hasn't shown up yet."

"Were you sleeping Sakura?" Ami wondered causing the pink haired girl to flush.

"Just a bit, I was here for awhile before you all showed up."

Naruto grinned lightly at the pink haired girl, "So you find me being a captain that boring already Sakura? Bet you wouldn't have been sleeping if Sasuke was here."

Sakura immediately stiffened up her fists clenching before she lightly punched the blonde in the shoulder, "Shut up Naruto!"

Naruto hastily backed away from the second blow chuckling, "Hey now, that's assaulting a superior officer! I have witnesses!"

Shikamaru snorted, "I'm not seeing a thing."

"Good!"

"Shikamaru!"

"Get back here Naruto!"

Shikamaru and Ami found themselves standing off to the side as Naruto continued to avoid his irritated pink haired teammate. "They haven't changed from the academy much have they?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "I think Sakura might like Naruto a bit more than back then."

Ami nodded in approval, "And Naruto?"

"Before the invasion, I would have told you he hadn't changed a bit."

Ami tilted her head in confusion, "And now what would you say?"

"I'm not sure yet." Shikamaru mumbled as he watched the blonde shinobi fluidly dodge the pink haired girl's increasingly violent blows with ease. Through the dark the duo were able to see the approaching Hyuuga in the distance.

"You know, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what happened to Ino." Ami stated quietly, knowing full and well that the time since the invasion hadn't been easy on the rookies.

"It's not your fault. You weren't there. You didn't kill Ino, Snow shinobi did." the Nara stated cooly.

"Don't tell me you were sleeping too Hanabi? You look like someone beat you over the head with your alarm clock to wake you up." Naruto remarked with a grin as his chase with Sakura came to an immediate halt upon her arrival.

"Shut up you idiot! I'm not in the mood." Hanabi snapped back with a fiery temper. The girl had certainly seen better days. Her outfit had dirt stains all over her jacket along with her legs being littered with scratches and light bruising that you could barely make out in the darkness.

Naruto snorted, "Alright firecracker." the blonde quipped as he beckoned the team inward.

"Hanabi, where are your things?" Sakura asked quickly as the both Ami and Shikamaru closed in.

"Sealing scroll." Hanabi replied stiffly without hesitation that caused the pink haired girl to promptly drop the subject.

"Alright, here's the plan. We're going to be running most of the night so that we can hopefully reach the next town within a day on the way to Wave Country rather than a couple days. My clone will take point a hundred yards forward on the formation followed by Hanabi who will be overwatch. Then in order we will have Shikamaru, followed by both Ami and Sakura, then I will be bringing up the rear."

"Really? You're going to bring up the rear." Shikamaru deadpanned as he gave Naruto an amused look.

Naruto followed the lazy Nara's train of thought quickly with a chuckle, "Well someone has to. Besides, I'm taking both the front and the back if it makes you feel better Shikamaru."

It didn't take long for Sakura to cross her arms over her chest unamused, "If you boys think you're being subtle, you're not. And you're not funny Naruto." she shot a look at Ami, "Right Ami?"

Ami raised her hands up in defense, "Hey don't look at me. I am just thankful for the second chance."

Naruto coughed into his hand, "Alright seriously. All fun aside, this is the formation and the order. When I give one next time you all follow it, no complaints." The blonde finished sternly.

"Alright, we got it. Are we going to leave tonight blondie? Or should we start making camp." Hanabi asked with her hands on her hips.

Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "Yeah yeah." he muttered as a clone was quickly fashioned and took off ahead. "By your leave princess. Just watch out for puddles."

Hanabi smirked as the veins beside her eyes strained before she took off at the head of the pack.

Shikamaru followed behind promptly. Ami didn't hesitate to follow.

Sakura was left giving Naruto an amused smile, "Puddles, really?"

Naruto shrugged, "I'm not falling for that again."

Sakura shook her head and took off to catch up with Ami.

Naruto gave one last look behind him to the village he loved idly wondering if it would still look the same when he came back. The invasion taught him that things could change in an instant.

XXXXXX

XXXXXX

"Alright, we'll rest here!" Naruto's clone called out as it touched down on the forest floor. Immediately the shinobi on the team followed suit, but looking significantly more winded.

Hanabi had sweat marring her brow causing her silky Hyuuga hair to stick to her in a rather undignified fashion. She promptly deactivated her Byakugan as she went on to catch her breath.

Shikamaru didn't look much better as he quickly dropped himself down at the base of a tree before chugging the water canteen the moment it reached his lips.

Although while the former shinobi were able to function, the girls that followed were operating on sheer force of will.

Sakura was breathing heavy as she fell to her knees upon arrival with her face flush with color.

Ami had only taken to standing to support herself for what followed.

Naruto landed behind the purple haired girl promptly snatching her hair into his grip as the girl emptied to contents of her stomach repeatedly onto the forest floor.

"Naruto! How are you barely even breaking a sweat?" Shikamaru breathed out heavily as he discarded his canteen at his side.

"I had to ran a lot when I was younger. Anyways everyone, go to the bathroom, get some rest. If we keep up with pace we may be able to actually get something to eat in the nearest town before turning in."

Ami wiped her mouth in disgust as she forced herself to stand up straight, "How long are we staying?"

"An hour maybe. Two at the most. And I have lunch for everyone if you're interested."

"Ramen cups don't count as lunch Naruto." Sakura was quick to reply in her exhausted state.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't share my ramen." Naruto quipped back as he set his bag down next to the bundle of sticks his clone had quickly grabbed together. "So who knows a fire jutsu?"

The young shinobi gathered around briefly exchanged looks with one another as if to silently answer the question in a resounding no.

Immediately from the treeline a small fireball launched forth expertly setting the sticks ablaze in a single go. The act alone set the genin on the defensive as they quickly armed themselves with their weapon of choice.

Although Naruto continued to dig through his bag pulling out a single pot, "Sasuke! You're late." The blonde commented in mock cheer.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura quietly voiced in surprise as she lowered her guard looking around for her other teammate.

The Uchiha in question jumped from the treeline and stood before the genin. On his formerly injured arm was an impressive cross between a brace and a gauntlet that both supported his arm and protected it. "Evidently you wouldn't have even had food without me Dobe."

As if waiting on queue the blonde flicked a pack of matches out beside the pot, "Would have managed just fine. Although you could have just kept up, saved me some digging."

Sasuke scoffed, "Like you knew I was coming?"

"I knew you wouldn't be able to stay home knowing I picked others over you."

Sasuke's lip tugged into the smallest smirk, "You're right."

"Then in that case, the team is now all here. So here's the plan for what follows."

 **XXXXXXX**

 **XXXXXXX**

Anyways now I don't know when the next chapters will be coming out. However this is essentially what I will call the end of an arc or a "Season" with this story. I hope you all have enjoyed the read.

I really wanted you guys to get the opportunity to see the growth of Naruto's character as he struggles with morality. Something that I feel is lacking in most fanfiction. Now I am very new to it, and this was largely a test for me as well. So some areas of the story probably felt a bit hamfisted in that regard.

However I wanted to show you a Naruto that wants to follow the law and takes abuse in order to abide by the law. Then you see him grow to a character tired of abiding by the law and wanting to take the law into his own hands. You see a young man that wanted to live in a shinobi world without having to kill anyone, then he is continually put into situations where he has to make a choice until he is forced to act.

I wanted the characters that you meet to feel like they are part of a larger world, rather than just reading other characters that feel like their own goals take a backseat to the protagonist's. Each character I think I did a pretty good job of showcasing their own emotions and motivations, even minor characters that you really only see for a chapter or two.

Now as for what is to come? I'll lay out some bullet points. Not really spoilers if you read the most recent chapter. But I'll give you some places I hope for this next arc of 10 chapters to hit.

 **The Introduction of Sannin characters**

 **Wave Country: And what is going on in the absence of Team 7**

 **Snow Country, and all that it will entail with this given story. Hopefully resolving it's entire arc while I am there.**

While also touching on the key character storylines that I want to have unfold

Naruto's journey for revenge, and the cost it may bring him.

Additionally what exactly happened to Naruto when he joined the Hokage in battle.

Hanabi's situation with her clan, and what she sees in her future.

Shikamaru finding out what role he is going to fill following Naruto down this dark path.

Sakura trying to find out how to be useful to those around her, and her goals of being strong enough to deserve her place

Ami's issues with her family and the apparently dark past she has had.

And then finally Sasuke who is struggling with the issues we have always known him to have. But hopefully making him do so in a meaningful way.

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Anyways I am still working 12 hours a day, often 6 days a week. I honestly rarely write anymore. However I would love to be able to showcase a second arc for you and what is to come.


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